THE 


THIRD 


University  of  California 

Southern  Regional 

Library  Facility 


THE  LIBRARY    / 

OF          // 
THE  UNIVERSITY/ 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 

IN  MEMORY  OF 
MRS.  VIRGINIA  B.  SPORER 


THE  THIRD  SEX 


THE  THIRD  SEX 


BY 

ERNST  VON  WOLZOGEN 

Author  of  "Florian  Mayr,"  etc. 


ENGLISH  VERSION  BY 

GRACE  ISABEL  COLBRON 


NEW  YORK 

THE  MACAULAY  COMPANY 
1914 


Copyright  1914,  by 
THE  MACAULAY  COMPANY 


PREFACE 

Ernst  von  Wolzogen  is  quite  able  to  speak  for 
himself,  even  when  bidding  for  the  favor  of  an 
English-reading  public.  But  at  one  time  this  most 
versatile  artistic  personality  of  modern  Germany 
was  manager  of  his  famous  Ueberbrettl,  (which 
you  may  translate  as  Literary  Variety  Show  if  you 
feel  so  inclined)  and  he  took  it  unto  himself  to 
announce  each  one  of  the  artists  by  a  little  spoken 
preface  which  was  usually  as  characteristic  and  as 
witty  as  is  all  his  work.  While  not  attempting 
in  any  way  to  compete  with  him  in  these  two  qual- 
ities I  am  taking  the  liberty  of  letting  him  see  how 
it  feels  to  be  introduced  by  a  preface  himself. 

Ernst  von  Wolzogen  sets  a  hard  task  for  the 
literary  critic  with  a  conscience.  He  is  one  of 
those  writers  whose  exuberance  of  individuality, 
whose  insistent  personality  so  colors  all  his  work 
that  it  is  difficult  to  judge  the  work  on  its  own 
merits  alone.  And  in  none  of  a  long  list  of  books 
from  his  pen  is  this  quality  so  in  evidence  as  in 

2041943 


PREFACE 

the  volume  we  offer  here,  the  Third  Sex.  His 
literary  mannerism  which  after  all  seems  but  the 
natural  expression  of  his  personality,  his  satirical 
gift  which  serves  so  aptly  as  a  vehicle  for  the  ut- 
terance of  the  most  serious  thoughts,  both  run  riot 
in  this  book.  It  reads  like  a  daring  bit  of  fun 
all  through.  And  yet  when  the  smile  is  broadest, 
the  writer  brings  to  expression  some  of  the  deepest 
truths  that  lie  at  the  heart  of  that  mental  trend 
we  call  Feminism,  now  taking  its  place  as  one  of 
the  burning  questions  of  the  day.  This  last  fact 
is  all  the  more  remarkable  in  that  the  book  was 
written  some  years  ago  in  Germany,  a  country 
where  in  this  Year  of  Grace  1914  the  new  Femin- 
ism is  but  just  raising  its  head  to  peep  over  its 
cradle  bars.  However,  Ernst  von  Wolzogen  is 
nothing  if  not  unexpected. 

While  Feminism  is  the  theme  of  the  book — the 
false  and  hampering  old  ideals,  the  mistakes  of  the 
Revolt  and  its  line  of  best  endeavor — a  few  other 
subjects  come  in  for  a  share  of  satirical  attention. 
It  is  doubtful  if  any  writer  of  any  nation  ever  so 
completely  burlesqued  German  University  pedan- 
try as  it  is  done  here  in  the  "Meyer  of  West- 
phalia" episode.  And  just  as  in  his  Conferencier 
days  of  the  literary  variety  show,  Ernst  von  Wol- 


PREFACE 

zogen  leaves  you  to  take  your  choice  as  to  his  own 
point  of  view  in  all  these  matters.  But  craving 
his  pardon — we  will  now  step  aside  and  let  him 
do  his  turn. 

GRACE  ISABEL  COLBRON. 


THE  THIRD  SEX 


THE  THIRD   SEX 

CHAPTER  I 

LEASE  shut  that  book,  Claire,  and  now 
listen.  .  .  .  We  can't  go  on  like  this  for- 
ever. I  ask  you  in  all  seriousness:  will  you 
marry  me?  " 

Thus  spoke  Dr.  Josef  Reithmeyer,  licentiate 
of  the  University,  living  in  Munich  in  the 
Blutenstrasse,  rear  building  up  one  flight,  to  his 
beautiful  friend  Claire  de  Fries,  born  in  Gronin- 
gen  in  Friesland,  student  of  medicine  in  Zurich, 
and  at  that  moment  on  a  visit  to  the  Blutenstrasse, 
rear  building  up  one  flight. 

Half  of  Dr.  Reithmeyer's  not  very  large 
study  was  bathed  in  brightest  sunshine,  and 
gleaming  dust  particles  mingled  with  the  slowly 
twisting  pale-blue  cigarette  smoke  to  queer  fan- 
tastic figures  in  the  broad  band  of  light  shot 
through  the  window  by  the  low-hanging  sun. 
The  remainder  of  the  cosy  room  lay  in  shadow. 
In  this  portion  of  it  was  the  glass  door  leading 


12  THE     THIRD    SEX 

out  onto  the  roof  of  a  woodshed,  over  which  Dr. 
Reithmeyer  had  put  an  awning,  with  sides  that 
could  be  let  down  at  will  so  that  the  sun  might 
be  entirely  shut  out.  A  breakfast  table  under  the 
awning  had  not  yet  been  cleared,  and  a  group  of 
sparrows  fought  noisily  for  the  crumbs  on  cloth 
and  floor.  The  twittering  of  the  birds,  the  busy 
hammering  from  the  cobbler-shop  on  the  ground 
floor,  and  the  merry  cries  of  children  playing  in 
the  neighboring  courtyard,  mingled  with  the  dis- 
tant street  noises  in  a  peaceful  morning  sym- 
phony. 

Within  the  room  all  was  still.  The  beautiful 
Miss  de  Fries  closed  her  fat  text-book  of  pathol- 
ogy, stretched  herself  at  full  length  on  the  divan, 
and  crossed  her  hands  behind  her  blond  curls. 
She  gnawed  her  full  lips  with  her  strong  white 
teeth,  as  if  in  deep  thought,  and  stared  silently 
up  at  the  tiresome  garlands  on  the  painted  ceil- 
ing. 

Dr.  Reithmeyer  waited  about  five  minutes. 
He  stood  leaning  on  the  desk  between  the  win- 
dow and  the  glass  door,  smoked  his  cigarette, 
and  admired  his  well-kept  nails.  At  last  his  pa- 
tience gave  way.  He  tossed  what  was  left  of 
the  papyros  into  the  ash-tray,  ran  his  slender 
white  fingers  through  his  shining  black  beard,  and 


THE     THIRD     SEX  13 

remarked:  "Well?  The  idea  cannot  be  so 
very  new  to  you.  You  must  have  given  the  mat- 
ter an  occasional  thought  yourself.  We  have 
been  as  good  as  married  for  two  years  now,  bet- 
ter than  married,  I  might  almost  say.  So  we  can 
scarcely  be  called  foolhardy  if  we  legalize  our 
relations." 

"  But  Seppl  dear,  it's  so  much  nicer  this  way," 
answered  Miss  de  Fries,  in  the  calmest  possible 
tone,  without  moving  from  her  comfortable  po- 
sition. "  Besides,  it's  violating  the  compact. 
We  are  free  agents." 

"  You  may  be,"  said  Dr.  Reithmeyer,  coming 
a  step  or  two  nearer  the  divan,  "  you  may  be,  but 
only  for  a  little  while  longer.  When  you  take  up 
the  professional  practice  of  medicine  you  are  no 
longer  a  free  agent.  And  I  am  not  free  now. 
You  see,  my  dear  Claire,  the  matter  stands  thus: 
I  may  get  the  professorship  any  day.  I  spoke  to 
Professor  Brenninger  only  yesterday;  there  is  a 
vacancy  and  I  am  to  be  suggested  for  it.  But  of 
course  all  that  is  impossible  if  I  continue  to  —  to 
live  in  open  scandal." 

Miss  de  Fries  took  her  hands  from  behind  her 
head,  crossed  them  over  the  cover  of  the  pathol- 
ogy, and  laughed  gently. 

This    angered    Dr.    Reithmeyer,    and    he    ex- 


i4  THE    THIRD    SEX 

claimed  irritably:  "You  consider  it  a  joke,  ap- 
parently. My  dear  girl,  devotion  to  principle 
is  all  very  well.  But  it  is  foolish,  or  worse,  when 
it  interferes  with  the  happiness  of  two  people 
who  love  one  another.  If  you  are  tired  of  me 
already,  please  say  so  honestly;  but  if  not,  why 
do  you  insist  on  ruining  my  career?  It  would 
hardly  be  kind  of  you  if,  after  all  we  have  been  to 
each  other,  you  were  to  —  to  jilt  me." 

"Hello!"  exclaimed  Miss  de  Fries,  much 
amused.  She  rose  quickly  to  a  sitting  posture 
and  dropped  her  feet  to  the  floor.  "  Come  here, 
Seppl,  and  sit  down  beside  me  —  let  me  look  at 
you." 

He  sat  down  on  the  low  divan  at  her  side,  and 
she  laid  both  hands  on  his  shoulders,  smiling  into 
his  sober  face.  "  Now  this  is  really  amusing," 
she  continued,  her  rather  large  white  hands  mov- 
ing gently  over  his  hair  and  beard.  "  The  world 
is  indeed  turned  topsy-turvy.  Formerly  it  was 
the  maiden  who  implored  her  fickle  lover  not  to 
throw  her  over,  *  Give  me  back  my  honor !  you 
have  made  me  unhappy  forever !  cruel  man ! '  and 
so  forth.  And  now  I  find  you  using  those  very 
same  terms.  The  New  Man !  Isn't  that  enough 
to  make  one  laugh?  " 

Dr.    Reithmeyer   caught   her   hands   and   held 


THE     THIRD     SEX  15 

them  fast,  for  the  stroking  made  him  nervous. 
"Don't  be  a  goosey,"  he  endeavored  to  joke. 
"  The  New  Woman  would  naturally  call  forth  the 
New  Man,  but  there  is  no  reason  why  he  should 
be  the  fool  you  seem  to  expect.  I  think  I  might 
look  for  a  little  more  good-will  on  your  part.  I 
am  taking  for  granted  that  you  entered  into  this 
affair  with  me  because  you  loved  me,  and  not 
merely  to  defy  the  family,  or  to  make  yourself 
talked  about." 

Her  only  answer  was  to  draw  him  close  and 
give  him  a  hearty  kiss. 

"Well,  then?"  he  continued,  evidently  satis- 
fied on  that  point.  "  Now  that  we  have  settled 
down  into  what  is  a  true  marriage,  in  spite  of 
long  separations,  in  spite  even  of  our  widely  dif- 
fering temperaments  and  professions,  I  really 
don't  see  why  we  should  not  risk  founding  a  fam- 
ily as  well  as  any  other  respectable  couple.  The 
essentials  are  all  there." 

The  beautiful  Miss  de  Fries  sighed  drolly: 
"  What  a  tease  you  are,  my  dear  Seppl  I  Won't 
you  leave  me  at  least  the  time  to  make  my  state 
examinations,  and  then  the  six  months  of  study 
in  the  Paris  hospitals?" 

"  Indeed?  And  then,  when  I  am  settled  here 
as  professor,  you  snow  in  on  me  some  fine  day, 


16  THE     THIRD     SEX 

possibly  with  a  baby  old  enough  to  say  '  Bonjour, 
papa?'" 

"Why  not?  Of  course  I  should  come  when- 
ever you  want  me,  if  I  am  otherwise  free  to  come. 
And  of  course  I  should  bring  the  baby,  if  there 
was  one." 

"  Much  obliged,  but  I  should  be  forced  to  de- 
cline the  honor." 

"And  why?     I  do  not  understand." 

"  Because  a  professor  of  the  Royal  University 
may  possibly  be  permitted  a  secret  love  affair,  but 
certainly  not  an  openly  acknowledged  child  of 
this  affair." 

"  That  is  utter  nonsense !  " 

"  Of  course  it  is  utter  nonsense.  We  two  know 
that  all  so-called  morality  is  built  up  on  utter  non- 
sense. But  if  by  making  some  little  concession 
to  the  public  idea  of  morality  we  can  secure  a 
comfortable  livelihood  for  ourselves,  we  would 
be  utter  idiots  if  we  did  not  do  it." 

"  All  very  well  and  good,  I  take  no  exception 
to  the  logic.  But  I  have  a  feeling  that  we  will  be 
punished  somehow  if  we  backslide." 

"  I  believe  you  are  superstitious." 

"  Possibly.  He  who  has  strong  convictions  is 
most  susceptible  to  superstition.  Since  I  have 
ceased  trembling  at  the  thought  of  an  atonement 


THE     THIRD     SEX  17 

in  the  hereafter,  I  take  it  for  granted  that  all  sin 
is  punished  in  this  existence.  That  satisfies  my 
sense  of  justice.  If  it  is  not  so,  then  there  must 
be  something  like  the  Buddhistic  transmigration 
of  souls.  The  entire  universe  is  built  up  with 
such  logic  that  guilt  without  punishment  would 
violate  the  law  of  causation  —  and  I  cannot  im- 
agine such  a  violation  possible.  I  have  too  much 
respect  for  the  splendid  legalism  of  the  Universal 
Order." 

Dr.  Reithmeyer  cut  a  wry  face.  He  let  him- 
self fall  into  an  armchair  with  a  comic  sigh  and 
sat  rubbing  his  knees  with  the  flat  of  his  hands,  as 
he  answered:  "  I  have  an  intense  desire  to  upset 
the  Universal  Order  by  crawling  up  yonder  wall. 
It's  too  absurd !  Here  you  are  proving  to  me,  by 
philosophy  and  logic,  that  I  must  either  renounce 
my  academic  career,  or  give  up  my  right  to  your 
charming  person.  Keep  your  philosophy  to  your- 
self, and  help  me  to  win  my  honey  wifie." 

Miss  de  Fries  stood  full  in  the  gleaming  wave 
of  light  that  surrounded  her  short  blond  curls  like 
a  delicate  shining  veil,  falling  low  on  her  back  — 
a  bridal  veil  of  sunshine !  Her  loose  white  cash- 
mere morning  gown  left  her  throat  open,  and 
from  the  fine  lines  of  neck  and  breast  an  artist 
could  have  deduced  a  perfect  figure  under  the  soft 


i8  THE     THIRD     SEX 

folds.  Her  face,  turned  from  the  light,  seemed 
almost  brown  by  contrast,  softly  pink-tinted,  and 
under  heavy  black  brows  and  long  lashes  her  great 
dark  eyes  shone  soft  and  calm  as  the  eyes  of  an 
antelope.  Claire  de  Fries  was  a  very  beautiful 
young  woman.  Her  hands  were  large  and  some- 
what masculine,  but  well  shaped  and  carefully 
tended.  She  blushed  as  she  felt  her  lover's  glance 
rest  on  her  with  admiration  and  desire.  She  was 
at  his  side  in  two  long  steps,  seated  herself  on 
his  knee,  and  laid  her  full  round  arms  about  his 
neck.  She  pressed  her  cheek  caressingly  to  his, 
and  spoke  in  a  tone  of  motherly  tenderness: 
"  My  darling  Seppl,  what  an  impossibly  an- 
tiquated person  you  are!  He  wants  a  honey 
wifie,  does  he?  You'll  have  to  look  elsewhere 
for  that  sort  of  thing,  my  dearest  boy,  it's  not  in 
my  line." 

"  It  is,"  he  reiterated  obstinately,  holding  her 
close  and  kissing  her  throat.  "  It's  just  your 
greatest  charm,  that  in  spite  of  all  your  clever- 
ness, your  zeal  for  science,  and  your  truly  com- 
mendable energy,  you  are  still  so  entirely  wom- 
anly. That  is  why  I  love  you,  and  why  I  cannot 
live  without  you." 

"  Egoist  1"  she  laughed.  "This  proposed 
marriage  will  either  make  me  unhappy  now,  or 


THE    THIRD     SEX  19 

condemn  me,  in  my  next  incarnation,  to  go 
through  life  as  a  watch-dog  or  a  cab-horse,  in 
punishment  for  my  desertion  of  the  cause  of  Rea- 
son. But  that  does  not  worry  you  in  the  least, 
my  noble  lord!  You  want  to  tie  me  down  for 
my  whole  life  just  out  of  selfishness,  because  you 
don't  want  me  to  belong  to  anyone  else,  not  even 
to  myself." 

"  No,  I  don't,"  he  cried,  almost  in  anger. 
"  What  do  you  want  of  yourself,  anyway? 
Don't  you  know  that  it  is  more  blessed  to  give 
than  to  receive  —  haven't  you  felt  the  truth  of 
that?" 

"  To  be  honest,  I  haven't,"  she  replied,  a  lit- 
tle thoughtfully.  "  I  may  not  be  quite  as  wom- 
anly as,  to  my  shame,  you  appear  to  imagine." 

"  You  certainly  don't  put  yourself  in  a  class 
with  the  Haider  girls,  or  Mesdames  Grotzinger, 
Stummer,  Wiesbeck,  or  the  others  of  that  ilk?" 

"And  why  not?" 

"Nonsense!  They  are  not  women  at  all; 
they  belong  to  the  third  sex.  They  are  neuters 
with  the  outer  appearance  of  femininity,  who, 
through  much  exertion,  have  gradually  sloughed 
off  womanly  feelings  and  have  won  in  their  place 
a  sort  of  deformed  masculine  soul." 

"Indeed?"     The      beautiful      Claire      was 


20  THE     THIRD     SEX 

aroused.  "  Hear  the  proud  masculine  spirit  as- 
sert itself!  Let  me  tell  you,  my  dear  friend, 
that  what  you  say  is  the  greatest  possible  bosh, 
and  unjust  at  that.  If  those  women  belong  to 
the  third  sex,  then  I  look  upon  it  as  an  honor  to 
be  likewise  classified." 

She  had  risen  and  walked  to  the  desk,  where 
she  played  nervously  with  a  paper-knife.  Dr. 
Reithmeyer  rose  also,  and  exclaimed  complain- 
ingly : 

"  But  you  don't  belong  to  it;  you  couldn't  ever 
belong  to  it." 

"And  why  not?  Aren't  the  women  you  men- 
tion splendid  fellows  ?  " 

"  Well,  first  because  —  hm !  because  —  and 
secondly  —  well,  thirdly,  and  finally,  because  you 
are  much  too  beautiful  1  " 

Miss  de  Fries  was  seriously  angry  now. 
"  Oh,  spare  me  such  nonsense !  Aren't  there 
plenty  of  good-looking  men  in  the  world?  And 
does  every  one  think  they  have  nothing  better  to 
do  than  to  waste  their  time  turning  the  heads  of 
silly  girls?  I  should  really  like  to  know  why  a 
good-looking  woman  must  be  condemned  to  de- 
vote herself  solely  and  entirely  to  the  pleasure 
of  that  noble  creature  Man?  It's  too  stupid! 
Don't  you  suppose  that  any  of  the  women  you 


THE     THIRD     SEX  21 

speak  of  could,  if  she  wished  it,  be  just  as  good 
a  wife  and  mother  as  I  could  be?  " 

Dr.  Reithmeyer  laughed  ironically.  "  Oh,  I 
dare  say  they  want  to  all  right,  but  they  can't 
find  the  men  to  help  them  to  it;  that's  the  trou- 
ble." 

Miss  de  Fries  flung  the  paper-knife  angrily  on 
the  desk,  and  with  a  muttered  "Ridiculous!" 
walked  to  the  divan,  took  up  her  book,  and  with- 
out another  word  strode  proudly  out  of  the  near- 
est door. 

"  Oh,  Claire,  we  mustn't  quarrel  I  why,  we 
never  quarrel !  "  Her  lover  tried  to  call  after  her 
but  the  slamming  of  the  door  cut  off  his  words. 
He  paced  the  room  for  a  few  moments  with  his 
hands  in  his  pockets,  and  an  air  of  angry  inde- 
cision. Then  he  caught  up  his  hat  and  cane  and 
left  the  apartment. 

Just  as  Dr.  Reithmeyer  emerged  from  the 
main  doorway  onto  the  Bliitenstrasse  a  lady 
sprang  from  her  bicycle  directly  in  front  of  him. 
She  was  of  scarcely  middle  height  and  of  stocky 
figure,  with  sturdy  legs  in  black  stockings  and 
blue  cloth  knickerbockers,  below  a  loose  blouse 
with  a  sailor  collar.  A  velvet  visor  cap  sat 
jauntily  on  her  short  brown  hair,  with  a  tilt  not 
unbecoming  to  the  bright,  boyish  face  and  enter- 


22  THE     THIRD     SEX 

prising  nose  under  it.  This  was  Miss  Hilde- 
gard  Haider,  of  the  firm  Moritz  Haider's 
Daughters,  bankers,  better  known  to  her  friends 
as  "  Box." 

"  Ah,  good  morning,  Box,"  said  Dr.  Reith- 
meyer,  raising  his  hat.  "  Were  you  on  your  way 
to  see  us?  " 

"  Morning,  Seppl,"  replied  the  stranger  cheer- 
ily, giving  him  a  hearty  handshake,  "  I  had  a 
spare  half-hour  and  thought  I  would  see  what 
you  two  were  about!  How  goes  the  world  with 
you?" 

"  Pretty  badly,  thank  you.  We  have  just 
been  quarreling." 

"Really?"  said  the  girl  in  astonishment. 
"Oh,  come  along;  I'll  play  peacemaker.  Claire 
upstairs?  " 

"  Yes,  Claire  is  up  there.  Go  up  and  let  her 
tell  you  all  about  it,  so  that  you  can  think  out  my 
punishment  together.  For,  of  course,  I'll  get 
the  worst  of  it." 

"  It  can't  be  anything  serious,"  cried  Miss 
Hildegard.  "  Why  don't  you  punch  each  other's 
heads,  and  then  make  up?  " 

"  You  would  recommend  punching  in  such 
cases?  That  looks  like  you,  Box." 

11 1  should  imagine  an  occasional  punching  to 


THE    THIRD    SEX  23 

be  a  rather  agreeable  variation  of  married  life. 
I  believe  in  the  shortest  process  anyway.  Are 
you  coming  up  with  me?" 

"  No,  thanks,  I  must  go  for  a  walk  to  let  off 
steam.  Shall  I  carry  your  wheel  upstairs?" 

"  It  will  do  here  just  as  well.  By-by;  wish 
you  a  happy  sulking  time." 

"Much  obliged;  au  revoir." 

And  each  went  his  own  way. 


CHAPTER  II 

THE  outer  shutters  were  let  down,  the 
"  young  man  "  had  gone  home,  and  Miss 
Hildegard  Haider,  of  the  firm  of  Moritz 
Haider's  Daughters,  stood  in  her  office  and  gave 
a  last  look  around  to  see  that  every  article  was 
in  its  place  and  all  the  keys  withdrawn,  before 
she  went  out,  locking  and  bolting  the  door  be- 
hind her.  Her  yellow  spaniel  danced  barking 
about  her,  glad  that  his  daily  trial  of  patience  was 
over.  During  business  hours  he  had  to  lie  si- 
lent and  motionless  at  her  feet  under  the  desk, 
but  now  he  was  to  have  his  reward  in  the  shape 
of  a  healthy  run  beside  the  wheel.  Miss  Haider 
appeared  to  be  in  equally  good  spirits.  She 
whistled  gayly  and  patted  the  dog's  thick  head. 
It  had  been  an  unusually  lucky  business  day,  and 
now  she  was  looking  forward  to  a  pleasant 
evening  with  friends  whom  she  had  invited  to 
supper.  She  had  sent  her  sister  Martha  home 
from  the  office  an  hour  ago,  to  make  the  neces- 
sary preparations.  She  jumped  on  her  wheel  — 
24 


THE     THIRD     SEX  25 

not  in  knickerbockers  this  time,  for  she  believed 
in  dignity  during  business  hours,  and  always  wore 
long  cloth  or  velvet  skirts  in  her  office  —  and 
rode  through  the  Ludwigsstrasse  to  the  Victory 
Gate.  She  would  have  preferred  to  ride  di- 
rectly home  to  the  Giselastrasse,  but  Schampus, 
the  dog,  had  to  have  his  exercise,  so  she  dutifully 
pedaled  the  usual  run  to  the  five-mile  stone  on 
the  Schwabinger  Highroad,  and  then  hurried 
back.  She  ran  two  steps  at  a  time  up  the  four 
flights  to  her  modest  mansard  apartment,  and 
found  the  table  already  set  for  eight.  Martha 
had  done  nobly,  and  the  effect  was  very  pretty, 
but  Miss  Hildegard  did  not  seem  quite  satisfied 
with  it.  In  spite  of  her  eminent  success  in  her 
efforts  to  make  herself  as  masculine  as  possible, 
she  was  still  proud  of  certain  little  feminine 
qualities,  such  as  her  orderliness,  and  her  talent 
for  arranging  her  rooms.  She  was  proud  also 
of  her  china,  which  had  not  been  bought  by  the 
dozen  in  shops,  but  gathered  piece  by  piece  in 
auction  rooms,  until  each  cup  and  plate  and  plat- 
ter had  some  special  value  as  a  work  of  art  or  a 
curiosity.  Her  handsome,  heavy  silver  had  been 
left  her  by  her  father. 

This  father,  Moritz  Haider,  had  been  a  queer 
sort   of  man.     He   was   born   a   Jew,   but   had 


26  THE    THIRD    SEX 

changed  his  religion  for  love  of  his  strictly  Prot- 
estant wife,  even  giving  up  his  own  name,  which 
rumor  said  was  Cohn.  He  had  been  a  good 
business  man,  but  somewhat  of  a  dreamer  also; 
had  pondered  much  on  philosophic  problems,  and 
suffered  from  periodical  attacks  of  an  absurd  pas- 
sion for  collecting.  This  passion  cost  him  much 
money,  and  he  would  often  sell  a  collection  for 
a  song,  when  a  new  line  of  objects  attracted  him. 
His  latest  fancy  had  been  for  tobacco-stoppers  in 
the  form  of  legs  made  of  porcelain  or  precious 
metals,  and  his  daughters  kept  the  velvet  box 
with  the  seventy-five  female  legs,  long  and  short, 
fat  and  thin,  naked,  stockinged  and  booted,  in 
pious  memory  of  their  father's  harmless  folly. 
The  old  man  had  left  these  seventy-five  legs  to 
his  Hildegard  with  more  anxious  recommenda- 
tion for  their  care  than  he  had  his  business.  The 
latter  had  fallen  off  sadly  during  the  last  years 
of  his  life,  thanks  to  his  one  good-for-nothing 
son,  whom  he  finally  dispatched  to  the  New 
World  where  the  young  man  disappeared  alto- 
gether. 

The  dying  man  had  consented  willingly  that 
the  firm  should  be  known  as  Moritz  Haider's 
Daughters,  strange  as  it  might  sound.  He 
knew  what  a  splendid  fellow  Hildegard  was, 


THE    THIRD     SEX  27 

and  how  well  she  understood  the  business.  And 
he  had  always  taken  Hildegard's  solemn  dec- 
laration never  to  marry,  in  all  seriousness. 
Neither  he  nor  anyone  else  in  the  family  could 
imagine  Hildegard  as  a  wife,  so,  according  to 
his  opinion,  there  was  not  the  slightest  danger 
that  she  might  fall  in  love,  and  let  the  business 
slip  into  the  hands  of  some  windbag.  But 
Martha,  the  "  sweet  flower,"  as  they  called  her 
at  home,  pretty  sentimental  coquettish  Martha 
would  doubtless  marry  soon,  and  her  future  had 
been  assured  by  making  her  a  partner  in  the  firm. 
Hildegard  had  justified  her  father's  confi- 
dence and  brought  the  sadly  endangered  firm 
into  good  repute  again,  but  the  "  sweet  flower  " 
had  come  to  the  age  of  twenty-four  without  hav- 
ing fulfilled  her  mission  in  life.  She  grew  pret- 
tier every  day,  and  at  twenty-two  was  an 
acknowledged  beauty,  worshiped  by  all  the 
artists  in  town.  Martha  Haider  could  count  by 
the  dozen  the  men  who  had  been  in  love  with 
her,  and  the  last  five  years  of  her  life  had  been 
passed  in  anxious  expectation  of  a  proposal  of 
marriage  which  never  came.  Flatteries,  pas- 
sionate words,  flowers,  and  poems  —  these  were 
all  her  beauty  had  as  yet  brought  her.  The 
more  forward  men  who  thought  her  an  easy  prey 


28  THE     THIRD     SEX 

were  soon  turned  down,  and  the  shy  ones  did  not 
dare  venture  a  serious  proposal,  fearing  the 
"'  bankeress  "  would  then  become  too  business- 
like. For  these  were  nearly  all  young  men  with- 
out prospects.  The  continuous  condition  of  de- 
fense and  expectation  which  had  been  her  fate 
for  several  years  now,  had  made  Martha  Haider 
nervous,  and  begun  to  affect  even  her  beauty. 
She  would  sit  dreaming  over  the  ledger  with  dull 
eyes  and  drawn  brows,  and  her  mental  depres- 
sion painted  sharp  lines  about  mouth  and  nose, 
and  found  vent  in  occasional  quarrels  with  her 
sister. 

"Why  that  critical  expression?"  she  said 
touchily,  as  Hildegard  gazed  at  the  table  with- 
out a  word  of  praise. 

"  Come,  come,  don't  get  nervous,"  answered 
the  latter,  "  I  think  it  all  very  charming,  but  a 
new  idea  for  the  napkins  suddenly  occurred 
to  me." 

She  caught  up  the  nearest  napkin,  in  which  a 
roll  had  already  been  placed,  and  began  to  form 
it  into  something  that,  she  asserted,  bore  a  re- 
markable resemblance  to  a  lotus  flower.  This 
was  one  of  her  little  talents.  While  busy  at  it, 
she  glanced  towards  a  bunch  of  beautiful  or- 
chids in  a  vase  on  the  table,  and  remarked 


THE     THIRD     SEX  29 

lightly:  "Say,  sweet  flower,  you  needn't  have 
gone  to  such  expense  for  those  few  females. 
What  did  it  cost?" 

"  Nothing,"  said  Martha,  with  a  shrug. 

"What's  the  matter?"  asked  Hildegard; 
"  you  are  as  red  as  a  peony.  You  know  I  don't 
want  you  to  buy  that  sort  of  thing  out  of  your 
own  money." 

"  I  didn't,"  replied  Martha,  blushing  hotly. 
"  The  flowers  are  from  —  oh,  you  can  guess." 

"From  Arnulf?" 

"Yes,  of  course;  anything  as  beautiful  as  that 
must  come  from  him."  She  laughed  nervously 
and  made  some  quite  unnecessary  change  in  the 
table  arrangements.  She  felt  her  sister's  sharp 
glance  resting  on  her,  and  after  a  short  pause, 
she  added:  "He  was  here  a  moment  ago  and 
left  a  greeting  for  you." 

Miss  Hildegard  took  up  a  second  napkin,  and 
whistled  between  her  closed  teeth.  Then,  as 
if  talking  to  herself,  and  without  looking  up, 
she  remarked:  "I  don't  like  that  affair  at 
all." 

"  I  know  for  myself  what  is  right  and  what  is 
not,"  Martha  roused  angrily  but  the  trembling 
of  her  features  showed  that  she  was  nearer  to 
tears.  "  I  thought  it  was  the  boy  from  the  pas- 


30  THE     THIRD    SEX 

try  shop  and  opened  the  door  myself,  or  I  should 
not  have  received  him." 

"  Now  don't  get  excited,"  said  her  sister 
soothingly.  "  I  am  not  reproaching  you.  We 
are  independent,  sensible  women,  and  can  receive 
all  the  men  we  want  to  in  our  own  home.  It's 
nobody's  business  what  we  do.  You  can  invite 
whom  you  want  and  see  him  alone,  if  you  so  de- 
sire. You  can  carry  on  all  the  affairs  you  like, 
too,  even  behind  my  back  if  it  pleases  you,  but 
leave  out  Arnulf  Rau." 

"  I  don't  see  why,"  answered  Martha  hotly. 
"  He's  a  married  man  whose  wife  is  an  intimate 
friend  of  ours !  " 

"That's  just  why,"  cut  in  Hildegard  hastily 
and  harshly.  "  You're  such  a  sensible  girl,  of 
course  I  know  the  young  windbags  or  the  old 
fools  would  never  be  dangerous  to  you.  But 
Arnulf  Rau  is  dangerous,  with  his  white  hands 
and  his  confounded  eyes.  Don't  deny  it!  Not 
one  of  them  has  interested  you  as  he  does.  It 
would  be  ever  so  much  worse  than  if  you  should 
take  up  with  one  of  your  foolish,  sentimental 
boys.  There  couldn't  one  of  them  have  worse 
intentions  than  he  must  have." 

"Do  you  think  so?"  cried  Martha  in  sup- 
pressed emotion,  stepping  close  to  her  sister,  her 


THE     THIRD     SEX  31 

eyes  shining  and  her  breath  coming  in  quick 
gasps.  "  Then  I  will  tell  you  what  he  has  just 
declared  —  he  cannot  live  without  me,  ...  he 
will  get  a  divorce " 

"  Great  Heavens !  "  burst  from  Miss  Hilde- 
gard  as  she  sat  down  suddenly  on  the  near- 
est chair.  She  swallowed  a  sharp  critical 
remark  with  difficulty,  and  after  some  little 
time  added,  in  apparent  calm :  "  Well  —  and 
you?" 

"  I  was  dreadfully  frightened,  naturally,"  an- 
swered Martha. 

She  stepped  to  the  mirror,  passed  her  hands 
over  her  deep  black  hair,  and  touched  her  fair 
heated  face  with  her  delicate  handkerchief. 
Then  she  continued  firmly,  although  her  voice 
trembled :  "  I  know  one  thing  surely,  and  that 
is,  that  I  have  never  loved  any  other  man  so 
much." 

Hildegard  threw  her  damask  lotus  flower  an- 
grily on  the  table  and  cried  aloud:  "Oh,  see 
here,  sweet  flower,  this  is  altogether  too  idiotic. 
I'd  rather  you  ran  away  with  some  nice  fellow. 
I'd  be  willing  to  support  you  both  out  of  my  own 
pocket,  rather  than  have  this  sort  of  thing  hap- 
pen." 

"  Oh,  yes,  you  can  laugh."     Martha  was  really 


32  THE     THIRD     SEX 

angry.  "  Of  course,  you  can  never  understand, 
you  with  your  heartlessness " 

"  Bother  heartlessness,"  interrupted  the  elder 
sister  roughly.  "  If  it's  the  heart  that  throws 
foolish  women  at  the  wrong  man,  then  I  haven't 
any  heart.  And  I  have  no  heart  to  encourage 
you  in  such  utter  idiocy,  either." 

"  Ah,  you  I  You ! "  Shaking  with  rage, 
Martha  took  a  few  quick  steps  towards  her  sis- 
ter. "  You  have  spoiled  everything  for  me !  It 
is  all  your  fault,  if  I  have  to  drag  out  this  hid- 
eous failure  of  a  life " 

"My  fault?     And  how?" 

"  Because  you  frighten  the  men  away.  You 
are  worse  than  the  worst  mother-in-law,  with 
your  dreadful  *  common  sense  '  and  your  unwom- 
anly coarseness.  You  make  a  mock  of  all  tender 
feelings,  in  your  eyes  everything  becomes  ridicu- 
lous, everything  one  longs  for,  when  one  has  to 
vegetate  in  lovelessness  as  I  do.  You  —  you  — 
where  you  tread,  no  flowers  can  grow !" 

She  confronted  her  sister  with  anger  blazing 
in  her  eyes,  then  suddenly  turned  and  left  the 
room. 

When  the  servant  entered  a  few  moments 
later,  Miss  Hildegard  stood  at  the  open  window, 
blowing  her  nose  with  unnatural  energy.  She 


THE    THIRD     SEX  33 

couldn't  let  the  stupid  thing  see  she  had  been  cry- 
ing. 

Half  an  hour  later  the  guests  began  to  arrive. 
First  to  come  was  Miss  Agatha  Echdeler,  Chair- 
man of  the  Propaganda  Committee  for  the  Evo- 
lution of  the  Feminine  Psyche.  This  association 
had  another  and  an  easier  name,  but  the  learned 
ladies  preferred  to  speak  of  it  thus  among  them- 
selves. Miss  Echdeler  was  a  slender,  stately 
woman,  in  the  late  thirties,  of  assured  carriage 
and  intelligent,  amiable  expression.  In  contrast 
with  the  boyish  style  affected  by  Hildegard 
Haider,  her  appearance  and  manners  were  most 
ladylike.  After  her  came  Mrs.  von  Grotzinger, 
a  rotund  little  person  with  short  gray  hair  and 
a  face  like  a  full  moon,  who  dressed  quietly  but 
in  execrable  taste.  Mrs.  von  Grotzinger  was  a 
worthy  lady  who  spent  her  life  doing  much  good 
with  her  slender  means.  It  was  asserted  that 
she  had  a  husband  living,  but  no  one  had  ever 
seen  him.  Rumor  whispered  that  he  had  fled 
into  the  Unknown  years  before,  in  terror  of  the 
strong  mind  of  his  better  half.  Mrs.  von 
Grotzinger  was  more  conspicuous  in  ordinary  con- 
versation by  reason  of  her  masculine  voice  than 
because  of  the  brilliancy  of  her  remarks,  and  she 
appeared  to  take  more  enjoyment  in  the  smoking 


34  THE     THIRD     SEX 

of  strong  cigars  than  in  the  utterance  of  daring 
speeches.  She  could  smoke  the  heaviest  stogies 
without  the  tremor  of  a  muscle. 

Then  came  the  inseparables,  Mrs.  Stummer 
and  Miss  Wiesbeck.  The  first  had  a  delicate, 
fine-cut  face  like  an  antique  cameo,  set  on  a  firm 
strong  throat,  and  carried  herself  like  a  hand- 
some boy  in  woman's  clothes.  The  pale  little 
creature  at  her  side  looked  as  though  a  zephyr 
might  blow  her  over.  She  was  the  narrow- 
chested,  sharp-nosed  daughter  of  a  country  pas- 
tor, who  had  had  courage  enough  to  run  away 
from  her  home  to  study  philosophy  in  Zurich, 
"  just  for  fun,"  as  she  expressed  it,  for  even  she 
herself  could  not  see  any  outlook  for  the  prac- 
tical utilization  of  her  knowledge.  She  picked 
up  a  little  money  by  coaching  pupils  for  the  Girls' 
High  School,  and  managed  to  live  largely  through 
the  help  of  better  situated  friends.  Mrs.  Stum- 
mer had  really  had  a  husband  once,  but  had  ob- 
tained a  divorce  from  him  after  a  very  short 
time.  As  she  explained  it,  she  had  not  been 
able  to  discover,  during  the  few  months  of  her 
married  life,  what  possible  use  she  could  have 
for  the  gentleman.  She  found  him  only  an  ob- 
stacle in  her  pursuit  of  higher  ideals.  The  sep- 
aration had  been  entirely  friendly,  and  Mr. 


THE     THIRD     SEX  35, 

Stummer  visited  his  wife  occasionally,  usually 
when  in  need  of  money,  as  she  had  more  of  that 
commodity  than  her  simple  tastes .  required. 
The  last  to  come  was  Claire  de  Fries,  accompa- 
nied by  Dr.  Jur.  Babette  Girel,  a  slender,  well- 
knit  figure  in  a  simple  black  velvet  gown,  which 
set  off  to  advantage  her  fine  spirituelle  face  with 
its  aquiline  features.  Dr.  Girel  had  already  won, 
a  name  as  an  eloquent  and  keen-witted  defender 
of  the  principles  of  emancipation  for  her  sex. 

When  all  were  there,  the  guests  took  their 
places  at  table,  and  devoted  themselves  in  no^ 
ticeable  seriousness  and  comparative  quiet  to  the 
enjoyment  of  the  good  things  offered  by  the  firm 
of  Moritz  Haider's  Daughters.  Cooks  and  the 
kitchen  were  the  main  topics  of  conversation,  just 
as  they  would  have  been  at  the  outset  of  an  ordi- 
nary woman's  party.  And  only  in  that  these  ladies 
ate  heartily,  like  hungry  human  beings,  instead 
of  merely  picking  at  their  food,  did  they  show 
their  superiority  to  the  weaker  members  of  their 
sex.  The  fact  that  no  alcoholic  drinks  were 
passed  may  have  been  in  part  reason  for  the 
mildness  of  the  conversation,  but  the  general 
gravity  was  caused  by  the  evident  depression  of 
the  hostesses.  Miss  Martha  Haider  had  calmed 
herself  sufficiently  that  neither  her  complexion 


36  THE     THIRD     SEX 

nor  her  behavior  showed  any  traces  of  her  recent 
emotion,  and  Miss  Hildegard  took  particular 
pains  to  appear  most  loving  towards  her  sister. 
But  the  observing  eyes  of  the  intimates  of  the 
house  saw  that  something  untoward  had  occurred. 

Supper  over,  the  guests  wandered  into  the  liv- 
ing room,  an  apartment  of  moderate  size  fur- 
nished in  odd  but  charming  style,  with  all  sorts  of 
knickknacks  and  curiosities.  Cigarettes  were 
passed  —  Mrs.  von  Grotzinger  lighting  her  own 
Havana.  Then  Miss  Hildegard  ordered  the  big 
punchbowl  brought  in,  setting  it  down  on  the  car- 
pet. She  threw  in  two  bottles  of  champagne, 
assuring  her  temperance  guests  that  it  was  only 
fruit  juice  with  soda  [which  was  a  shameless  lie, 
inasmuch  as  the  punch  was  made  of  best  Palatine 
wine  and  champagne,  half  and  half]  ;  then  she 
added  some  slices  of  lemon,  and  finally,  dreadful 
to  relate,  a  dash  of  brandy. 

The  guests  declared  the  punch  delicious,  and 
the  anti-alcohol  party  praised  it  as  a  triumph  of 
the  temperance  drink  industry.  Mrs.  Stummer 
and  Miss  Wiesbeck  stretched  themselves  with 
Miss  Hildegard  on  the  carpet  around  the  punch- 
bowl; Miss  de  Fries  lay  at  full  length  on  a  low 
divan,  and  Martha  Haider,  who  cherished  a 
schoolgirl's  admiration  for  the  beautiful  Frisian, 


THE     THIRD     SEX  37 

sat  down  on  the  fur  robe  at  her  feet.  Mrs.  von 
Grotzinger  was  so  lost  in  a  deep  arn>chair  that 
her  feet  scarcely  touched  the  floor,  and  Babette 
Girel  stood  with  Agatha  Echdeler  at  the  open 
window,  gazing  smilingly  at  the  pretty  groups. 

Praise  of  the  cheering  beverage  seemed  to 
have  exhausted  conversational  resources  again, 
and  Hildegard  exclaimed  angrily:  "Why, 
girls,  aren't  you  stupid  to-night!  I'll  have  to 
turn  a  somersault  to  waken  you  up  a  bit."  She 
was  up  in  a  jiffy,  stepping  over  the  slender  Miss 
Wiesbeck,  and,  placing  herself  in  the  center  of 
the  room,  she  really  did  turn  a  neat  somersault 
without  any  shock  to  decency,  as  she  always  wore 
knickerbockers  under  her  skirt. 

But  this  acrobatic  feat  was  nothing  new  to  the 
guests,  so  the  applause  was  but  mild,  and  silence 
would  have  fallen  again,  had  not  Dr.  Girel  asked 
Dr.  de  Fries,  aloud  but  without  any  particular 
excitement,  whether  it  was  true  that  she  was  to 
marry  her  lover,  Dr.  Reithmeyer. 

"  So  Box  has  been  telling  tales?  "  asked  Claire, 
without  changing  her  comfortable  and  becoming 
position  on  the  divan. 

"  Of  course.  I  always  do  when  some  stupid- 
ity is  threatening,  which  an  open  discussion  might 
possibly  avert,"  was  Hildegard's  explanation. 


38  THE    THIRD    SEX 

"Open  discussion?"  laughed  the  beautiful 
Claire.  "  Would  you  call  a  mass  meeting  to  dis- 
cuss my  case?  " 

"  Well,  I  was  thinking  of  our  own  intimate  cir- 
cle here  —  the  windows  are  open,  that  makes  it 
a  public  meeting." 

"Is  that  a  joke?"  inquired  Mrs.  von  Grot- 
zinger  sleepily.  "  I  can't  laugh,  I  have  eaten  too 
much." 

Miss  Echdeler  turned  to  Claire.  "  Then  you 
really  intend  to  marry?" 

Miss  de  Fries  returned:  "  It  looks  as  if  I 
must,  but  I  don't  want  to." 

"  Bravo  1  Prosit,"  squeaked  Miss  Wiesbeck, 
raising  her  glass  to  her  fellow-student. 

"  Oh,  don't  be  silly,"  said  Box.  "  I  don't  see 
why  we  can't  talk  this  matter  over  sensibly.  I 
should  hope  we  were  competent  to  do  that  much." 

"  I  have  no  objections,"  said  Miss  Claire, 
calmly.  "  If  I  can  lie  here  comfortably  as  I  do 
now,  you  can  say  anything  you  want  to  about  this 
case  of  Reithmeyer  vs.  Fries.  I  must  confess,  I 
am  beginning  to  have  my  doubts.  I  can't  quite 
decide  whether  my  resistance  is  a  sign  of  strength 
of  character,  or  merely  of  obstinacy.  After  all, 
it  is  no  crime  to  marry." 

"  For  my  part,  I  prefer  free  love,"  grunted 


THE     THIRD     SEX  39 

Mrs.  von  Grotzinger  in  her  comfortable  bass 
tones.  They  all  laughed,  but  the  good  lady  took 
no  offense  and  joined  in  the  merriment  herself. 

"  We  needn't  discuss  love  here,"  declared 
Miss  Wiesbeck  with  precocious  wisdom,  whereat 
Martha  Haider,  who  disliked  the  sharp-nosed 
girl,  fluted  back  at  her  in  sweetest  tones: 

"  Ah,  your  mind  is  quite  made  up  as  to  love? 
Oh,  please,  tell  us  something  definite  about  it 
then." 

The  student  of  philosophy  saw  the  irony,  and 
answered  with  hesitation :  "  Love  —  oh,  well, 
love  —  love  is  entirely  a  private,  personal  mat- 
ter." 

This  started  the  most  of  them  laughing  vio- 
lently again,  until  Dr.  Girel's  soft,  rich  voice  cut 
through  the  noise. 

"  Why,  ladies,  aren't  you  ashamed  of  your- 
selves to  bid  for  laughter  in  this  way?  One 
would  think  you  were  in  the  German  Parlia- 
ment." 

"  Bravo !  "  "  Parliament  indeed !  "  "  Fie  1  " 
came  the  merry  answers,  and  then  Dr.  Girel  sug- 
gested arranging  a  formal  law-court.  Hildegard 
Haider,  as  the  initiated  person,  was  to  narrate 
the  species  facti. 

Box  seated  herself  cross-legged  on  the  divan 


40  THE     THIRD     SEX 

by  Claire  de  Fries,  and  carried  out  her  part  of 
the  task  with  sufficient  volubility.  The  ladies 
listened  in  eager  attention,  and  then  Dr.  Girel 
opened  the  proceedings  by  asking  Miss  de  Fries 
if  she  had  any  corrections  to  make.  As  this  was 
not  the  case,  Dr.  Girel  proceeded  to  deliver  the 
following  speech: 

"  Ladies !  Permit  me  to  give  you  a  summing 
up  of  this  case,  following  the  statement  we  have 
just  listened  to.  Mr.  X.  and  Miss  Y.,  because  of 
mutual  so-called  love,  had  entered  into  a  free 
companionship,  with  no  legal  liabilities  on  either 
side.  This  companionship  has  now  lasted  for 
some  time,  to  the  mutual  satisfaction  of  the  par- 
ties concerned,  and  through  its  high  intellectual 
character  it  has,  I  might  say,  taken  on  the  quali- 
ties of  an  ideal  marriage  relation.  Now,  how- 
ever, Mr.  X.  desires  to  change  this  ideal  marriage 
to  a  conventionally  lawful  one,  i.  e.,  to  a  legal- 
ized, indissolvable  contract,  by  which  Miss  Y. 
shall  give  herself,  of  her  own  free  will,  and  for 
the  rest  of  her  life,  into  the  guardianship  of  Mr. 
X.;  shall  take  upon  herself,  besides  the  so-called 
natural  duties,  a  number  of  unnatural,  viz.,  social 
duties;  and  according  to  the  principle,  mulier  in 
ecclesia  taceat,  to  agree  to  all  rules  laid  down  by 
X.,  and  to  forever  after  hold  her  peace." 


THE    THIRD    SEX  41 

Miss  Wiesbeck  could  not  resist  a  murmured, 
"Horrible!" 

Babette  Girel  continued  calmly:  "The  ques- 
tion is  now  put  to  this  honorable  assemblage, 
whether,  from  the  point  of  view  of  our  endeavors 
for  the  healthy  evolution  of  the  Feminine  Psyche, 
our  comrade  Y.  may  be  allowed  to  deny  her  hith- 
erto nobly  defended  principles  for  the  sake  of 
material  reasons?  " 

"No!"  "Never!"  "  Jamais,  non  licet! 
—  brutal  force!"  "masculine  selfishness!" 
"  clumsy  snare !  " 

The  excited  women  all  spoke  at  once. 

Not  having  a  bell,  Dr.  Girel  rapped  on  her 
glass  with  a  paper  knife  and  commanded  order. 
"Does  anyone  wish  to  discuss  the  question?" 
she  asked  with  droll  gravity. 

Mrs.  von  Grotzinger  raised  her  short  fat  fore- 
finger, and  turning  to  the  beautiful  woman  on  the 
divan,  she  said  with  a  motherly  smile,  "  Don't  let 
them  fool  you,  Frieschen.  I  know  how  hard  it 
is  to  resist  a  man  when  he  pleads  so  charmingly. 
As  I  said,  I  prefer  free  love." 

Without  waiting  for  permission  to  talk,  Mrs. 
Stummer  broke  in :  "I  know  marriage,  I  can 
say  a  thing  or  two  also.  The  men  can  ruin  and 
break  us  in  free  love  just  as  well  as  in  marriage 


4a  THE    THIRD    SEX 

if  they  want  to.  The  main  point  is  what  stuff 
we  ourselves  are  made  of.  Marriage  is  good 
enough  for  the  ordinary  woman,  she  is  happiest 
under  the  yoke,  anyway  —  and  for  the  free 
woman  even  the  freest  love  is  not  free  enough, 
for  love  of  itself  means  submission  for  us.  But 
I  don't  see  why  a  woman  must  love  some  man! 
Give  your  love  to  science,  Miss  de  Fries,  to  serve 
her  is  an  honor." 

"  Bravo,  bravo,"  squeaked  Wiesbeck  in  ad- 
miration. "  I  love  only  science  myself  and  get 
along  finely." 

"  You  don't  pick  up  much  flesh  in  the  process, 
my  child,"  teased  Mrs.  von  Grotzinger  good-na- 
turedly. "  It  looks  to  me  as  if  science  did  not 
reciprocate  your  feelings.  One  can  remain  as 
thin  as  you  are  only  in  platonic  affairs." 

This  started  a  storm  of  talk,  laughter,  jokes, 
and  serious  argument  over  the  case  in  question. 
They  nearly  all  talked  at  once,  broke  up  into 
groups  of  two  or  three,  grew  warm  and  began 
to  scream,  just  as  men  do  under  the  same  circum- 
stances. Miss  Girel  gave  up  her  attempt  at  par- 
liamentary procedure  and  sat  down  in  a  corner 
with  Box  and  Miss  Echdeler,  to  exchange  serious 
opinions.  Miss  de  Fries,  who  was  most  con- 
cerned in  it  all,  was  much  the  most  composed,  and 


THE     THIRD     SEX  43 

during  the  height  of  the  noise,  she  bent  over 
Martha  Haider,  and  asked,  smiling,  "  What 
would  you  do  in  my  case,  de#r?  " 

The  pretty  girl  started  up  from  her  dreaming, 
and  had  to  pull  herself  together  before  she  could 
answer.  Then  she  whispered,  blushing,  "I? 
Ah,  if  anyone  loved  me  as  much  as  that,  I  should 
be  more  than  happy  to  belong  to  him  before  all 
the  world,  and  for  the  rest  of  my  life." 

Claire  passed  her  hand  tenderly  over  the 
smooth,  Madonna-like  face.  "  Little  woman," 
she  said  gently,  "  does  that  really  make  you  so 
happy?  Always  to  live  for  some  master,  never 
for  yourself?  " 

Martha  sighed  and  could  find  no  answer. 
Then  she  stood  up  and  said  carelessly:  "You 
would  only  laugh  at  me,  anyway."  She  took  up 
the  silver  cake  basket  and  went  the  round  of  the 
company.  The  beautiful  Frisian  rose  also,  lit  a 
fresh  cigarette  and  listened  absently  to  the  ex- 
cited argument  of  the  various  groups.  They  had 
all  gone  wide  astray  from  the  original  theme,  the 
question  of  whether  she  would  marry  or  not,  and 
were  each  one  of  them  riding  her  favorite  hobby. 

Mrs.  Stummer  quarreled  with  Mrs.  von  Grot- 
zinger  about  the  High  School  for  Girls;  she  was 
passionately  in  favor  of  it,  her  opponent  equally 


44  THE     THIRD     SEX 

obstinate  in  the  opposition.  Wiesbeck  was  lay- 
ing down  the  law  to  the  smiling  Miss  Echdeler 
about  the  right  of  each  one  of  us  to  live  out  his  or 
her  own  individuality,  a  right  that  woman  must 
fight  for  as  well  as  man.  Miss  Echdeler  had  heard 
it  all  a  thousand  times  before,  but  she  let  the  stu- 
dent talk  on.  It  was  wholesome  rhetorical  practice 
and  the  good  cause  of  mental  emancipation  needed 
easy  speakers.  Babette  Girel  had  launched  on 
her  favorite  topic,  the  legal  rights  of  illegitimate 
children.  Her  friend  Hildegard  challenged  her 
by  the  remark  that  a  child  was  good  for  any 
woman,  was  necessary  indeed  for  most  of  them, 
but  that  she  could  not  see  why  a  woman  who  had 
made  herself  mentally  free,  as  had  Claire  de 
Fries,  should  not  have  a  child  without  a  legalized 
husband.  It  would  be  only  a  pleasure  for  a  strong 
character  to  struggle  against  the  prejudices  of  so- 
ciety. 

Claire  sat  down  by  these  two  and  listened  at- 
tentively. In  the  early  stage  of  her  relations  with 
Dr.  Reithmeyer  she  had  decided  not  to  have  a 
child  until  she  had  finished  her  studies  and  won 
an  independent  position  for  herself.  Then,  how- 
ever, she  did  not  wish  any  longer  to  evade  her 
natural  mission,  her  very  highest  duty  as  a 
woman.  She  was  a  serious  nature  and  desired  to 


THE    THIRD    SEX  45 

furnish  in  herself  the  proof  that  modern  woman 
is  not  only  mentally  equal  to  man,  but  is  morally 
his  superior,  in  that  for  her  love  is  not  merely  a 
passing  pleasure,  but  the  fulfillment  of  a  holy  duty 
to  the  race.  But  she  had  often  considered  the 
very  uncomfortable  position  which  must  be  the 
lot  of  a  child  coming  into  the  world  in  what  was 
still  called  a  forbidden  manner.  And  she  seri- 
ously asked  herself  whether  the  selfishness  of  a 
woman  who  sacrificed  the  happiness  of  her  chil- 
dren to  her  own  desire  for  mental  freedom  was 
not  just  as  bad,  from  the  point  of  view  of  higher 
morality,  as  the  selfishness  of  man,  who  for  his 
own  convenience  puts  into  the  laws  of  his  coun- 
try the  doctrine  of  the  non-relationship  of  the 
father  to  his  natural  child. 

She  had  long  felt  that  if  she  should  ever  let 
herself  be  persuaded  to  marry,  it  would  be  only 
for  the  sake  of  the  children.  And  this  was  just 
the  point  touched  upon  by  Dr.  Girel  in  her  calm, 
clear  manner. 

"  Nonsense !  "  interrupted  Box.  "  It's  good 
for  these  children  to  be  knocked  about  a  bit,  es- 
pecially for  the  girls.  The  future  needs  women 
who  have  been  toughened." 

"  But  much  good  material  is  wasted  in  the 
knocking  about,"  answered  Babette  Girel,  with 


46  THE     THIRD     SEX 

quiet  gravity.  "  The  toughened  woman  will  do 
our  cause  little  good;  she  will  only  help  to  chase 
beauty  and  joy  and  goodness  more  and  more 
from  our  prosaic  world." 

"  Can't  see  it  that  way,"  declared  Box  obsti- 
nately. "  Health  is  the  best  beauty,  and  all  this 
talk  of  the  Good,  and  the  True,  and  the  Beauti- 
ful, only  makes  dish-rags  of  us." 

"Your  idea  of  toughening  makes  the  sexless 
woman,"  joined  in  Claire  de  Fries.  "  And  she 
is  a  horror  to  the  men  as  well  as  to  herself. 
Don't  forget  that,  Box." 

"  Dear,  dear,  how  tender  you  are  of  the  poor 
men,"  mocked  Hildegard.  "  This  foolish  pity 
for  men  is  really  the  very  worst  among  the  many 
weaknesses  of  our  sex.  Why  do  so  many,  even 
of  the  cleverest  women,  get  caught?  Simply  be- 
cause the  men  know  how  to  appeal  to  their  pity. 
They  know  how  to  make  a  woman  believe  they 
can't  live  without  her,  or  that  they  would  go 
crazy,  or  go  quite  to  the  dogs,  if  she  won't  listen 
to  them,  and  stretch  out  her  rescuing  hand  as  a 
good  angel.  Nasty  comedy!  Just  let  any  one 
of  them  come  to  me  with  such  stuff!  I'd  land 
him  a  good  whack  right  and  left  for  his  pains." 

"  Don't  be  alarmed,"  laughed  the  beautiful 
Claire,  "  they'll  not  bother  you." 


THE    THIRD    SEX  47 

Hildegard  reddened  with  anger.  "  Oho,  all 
that  about  the  sexless  woman  was  meant  for  me, 
was  it?  My  dear  Donna  Clara,  if  you  think  that 
I,  or  any  woman  who  is  not  absolutely  bedrid- 
den, couldn't  capture  a  man,  you  are  much  mis- 
taken. Great  art  that!  When  a  woman  really 
wants  to,  she  can  get  any  man." 

"  Well,  as  far  as  the  ways  of  men  are  con- 
cerned," Claire  smiled  mockingly,  "  your  opin- 
ions are  not  hampered  in  the  least  by  an 
acquaintance  with  facts." 

"  Indeed."  Box  was  really  angry.  "  So  you 
think  I  couldn't  possibly  win  a  man?  Bosh! 
Men  are  so  weak  in  temptation  that  we  need  but 
to  beckon  ever  so  slightly  to  gather  them  into  our 
net,  all  of  them,  without  distinction  of  age,  posi- 
tion, or  rank." 

Babette  tried  to  sooth  her,  but  she  was  be- 
yond control.  The  scene  with  her  sister  earlier 
in  the  evening  had  shaken  her  nerves  so  that  she 
was  hardly  conscious  of  what  she  was  say- 
ing. "  If  I  wanted  to  humiliate  a  man,  I  should 
not  even  take  the  trouble  to  bother  myself 
about  him.  I  would  simply  let  my  cook  win 
him." 

"  Hear !  Hear !  "  laughed  Mrs.  von  Grot- 
zinger.  The  others  became  interested  now,  and 


48  THE    THIRD     SEX 

turned  to  the  group  with  half  smiling,  half  em- 
barrassed attention. 

"  You  forget  one  thing,  my  dear  Box,"  said 
Claire  de  Fries,  trying  to  control  her  annoy- 
ance at  the  turn  the  conversation  had  taken. 
"  It  is  only  after  enjoyment  that  men  become 
the  cynics  you  think  them.  At  first  they  are 
greater  idealists  even  than  we  are,  and  a  vic- 
tory which  costs  nothing  does  not  allure  them  at 
all." 

"  Indeed,  I'll  prove  the  contrary !  "  cried  Hil- 
degard  with  flashing  eyes.  "  In  two  weeks' 
time  I'll  bring  you  down  a  stag  of  ten." 

A  general  silence  ensued;  this  frivolity  was  a 
little  too  much  for  the  ladies.  They  were 
greatly  embarrassed,  and  discovered  with  remark- 
able unanimity  that  they  wanted  another  glass  of 
punch  and  more  cake.  Eating  and  drinking 
seemed  somehow  to  soften  the  unpleasantness  of 
the  situation. 

As  no  one  applauded  her  joke,  Box  laughed 
herself.  Wise  Miss  Echdeler,  who  had  felt  the 
foolish  boasting  most  keenly,  stepped  behind  her 
friend,  patted  her  on  the  shoulder  and  said: 
"That's  right,  laugh  at  yourself,  for  it  was  a 
very  bad  joke."  And  turning  to  the  others,  she 
continued :  "  Don't  be  alarmed  ladies,  Box  has 


THE     THIRD     SEX  49 

merely  fired  a  shot  in  the  air.  She  has  her  re- 
volver always  with  her  when  she  rides  out,  but 
there's  been  no  chance  to  try  it  yet,  so  she  thought 
it  might  be  fun  to  startle  our  delicate  ears  with 
its  noise.  No,  my  friends,  we  can  continue  to 
develop  as  we  have  done.  I  have  no  fear  that 
our  chosen  path  may  lead  us  to  take  up  with  the 
rowdyism  of  male  students." 

Box  suddenly  realized  that  she  had  made  a 
mistake,  and  she  pressed  Miss  Echdeler's  hand, 
grateful  for  her  efforts  to  restore  the  lost  jovial- 
ity. 

The  dangerous  subject  was  tacitly  dropped, 
and  the  conversation  spread  itself  somewhat  for- 
cibly over  all  sorts  of  innocuous  themes,  such  as 
drama,  literature,  and  fashions.  Finally  Dr. 
Girel  consented  to  play  a  violin  solo.  She  was 
a  remarkably  talented  lady,  who  knew  much  and 
could  do  much,  but  she  could  not  play  the  violin. 
However  no  one  seemed  to  think  she  demanded 
attention  for  her  performance  and  the  conversa- 
tion went  on  as  before. 

Miss  de  Fries  looked  about  for  Martha,  but 
could  not  see  her.  She  left  the  living-room  and 
found  the  girl  alone  in  the  dining-room,  stand- 
ing at  the  open  window,  gazing  out  into  the 
night.  She  went  to  her,  laid  her  arm  about  her 


5o  THE     THIRD    SEX 

pressing  her  closely  and  asked:  "Well,  dearie, 
what  was  the  trouble  between  you?" 

Martha  let  her  dark  head  fall  on  the  breast  of 
her  tall  friend,  and  whispered  shyly  under  the 
coming  tears :  "  Oh,  dear,  it  is  dreadful  to  have 
no  one  to  whom  I  can  talk." 

44  Talk  to  me,"  said  Claire,  kindly.  "  I  don't 
think  I  am  quite  as  sadly  sensible  as  the  others. 
Come  and  see  me  to-morrow  evening,  I  will  ar- 
range to  be  alone." 

The  ladies  in  the  living-room  began  to  feel 
bored.  It  wasn't  safe  to  work  up  a  good  quarrel 
for  fear  of  unpleasant  contretemps,  and  there 
wasn't  much  more  to  say  anyhow.  The  alcohol 
that  had  been  smuggled  in  began  to  go  to  their 
heads;  some  were  alarmed  because  of  their  un- 
called-for merriment,  others  simply  sleepy.  No 
one  in  particular  seemed  to  have  started  the 
leave-taking,  but  all  the  guests  were  gone  shortly 
before  midnight.  They  were  profuse  in  their 
thanks  for  the  charming  evening,  and  Mrs.  von 
Grotzinger  laid  a  fifty  pfennig  piece  on  the 
kitchen  table  for  the  cook. 

Box  accompanied  them  down  the  stairs  to  open 
the  front  door.  She  stood  at  the  court  gate, 
gnawing  her  lips,  until  the  voices  of  the  depart- 
ing ones  had  lost  themselves  in  the  quiet  street. 


THE     THIRD     SEX  51 

Upstairs  again,  she  sent  Martha  to  bed  and  oc- 
cupied herself  for  about  an  hour  in  clearing  up. 
When  she  finally  sought  her  bed,  Martha  was 
already  fast  asleep  like  a  comforted  child,  but 
Hildegard  heard  three  o'clock  strike  before  the 
God  of  Dreams  took  her  pityingly  to  his  arms. 
Disgusting!  even  Morpheus  was  a  man.  Was 
there  no  other  way  for  a  sensible  woman  to  find 
her  well-earned  rest? 


CHAPTER  III 

A/TISS  HILDEGARD  HAIDER  awoke 
JLV A  late  the  following  morning.  Martha  had 
to  call  her,  something  that  had  never  happened 
before.  Her  head  ached  badly  from  lack  of 
sleep.  Her  temperance  punch  might  have  had 
something  to  do  with  it  too,  for  in  her  excite- 
ment she  had  sampled  it  more  copiously  than  had 
any  of  her  guests.  She  ate  breakfast  in  the 
worst  possible  mood,  and  spoke  scarcely  three 
words  to  her  sister.  Not  until  they  were  on 
their  way  to  the  office  did  Martha  attempt  to 
break  the  threatening  silence  with  the  question 
as  to  whether  this  ill-treatment  was  intended  as 
a  punishment  for  her,  because  a  man  loved  her 
enough  to  make  a  great  sacrifice  for  her  sake. 

"  Haven't  you  got  that  crotchet  out  of  your 
head  yet?"  answered  Box  crossly.  "I  thought 
you  would  have  forgotten  the  stupid  affair  over- 
night." 

"  It  doesn't  strike  me  as  particularly  stupid," 
said  Martha,  defiantly.  "  He  says  his  wife  does 
52 


THE    THIRD     SEX  53 

not  understand  him,  and  that  we  were  born  for 
one  another." 

"  Stuff  and  nonsense,"  cut  in  Box.  "  Men  in 
love  all  spill  over  with  such  talk.  But  just  try 
to  keep  him  to  his  word,  and  see  how  quickly  he 
retreats.  It  isn't  true  anyhow,  his  wife  under- 
stands him  very  well;  no  one  better.  What  is 
there  so  very  remarkable  back  of  his  bombastic 
speeches?  According  to  him,  nothing  that  any- 
one else  does,  or  has  done,  is  worth  anything. 
To  hear  him  talk  you  would  think  he  was  the 
only  man  of  the  century  to  know  anything  at  all 
about  art  or  literature.  But  what  does  he  write 
himself?  A  few  pretty  essays  a  year,  now  and 
then  a  play  that  is  never  performed,  or  a  novel 
that  is  so  boresome  no  one  wants  to  read  it.  His 
wife  is  much  the  cleverer  of  the  two,  if  she 
doesn't  use  such  high-sounding  words.  She  sees 
through  his  poses  completely,  but  she  knows  how 
to  make  him  believe  she  is  looking  up  to  him  in 
admiration.  Then  he  is  happy,  and  she  has  her 
peace  and  comfort,  a  handsome  husband,  and  a 
luxurious  life.  No,  my  angel,  your  Arnulf  Rau 
is  a  handsome  man,  and  a  rich  man,  and  that  ends 
it.  If  he  were  not  rich,  he'd  have  starved  on  his 
wisdom  long  ago.  There's  any  number  of  men 
just  like  him  among  the  artists  and  writers,  and 


$4  THE    THIRD    SEX 

ninety-nine  per  cent  of  those  born  rich  are  the 
same  sort  of  stuff.  All  that  kind  of  man  can  do 
is  to  idle  away  the  hours,  and  to  torment  those 
around  him.  Besides  which,  he  drinks." 

"  That's  not  true.  It's  too  horrid  of  you !  " 
Martha  was  almost  in  tears,  but  she  did  not  wish 
to  attract  the  attention  of  the  passers-by,  so  she 
clenched  her  teeth,  and  in  a  few  moments  had 
controlled  herself  sufficiently  to  continue :  "  You 
don't  know  how  much  a  strong  man  can  stand," 
she  said  with  an  upward  glance  of  her  beauti- 
ful soft  eyes.  "  And  if  he  does  drink  a  little 
more  than  usual  now,  he  probably  does  it  to 
drown  his  sorrow." 

"  Bosh  1  "  exclaimed  Box  with  ironclad  empha- 
sis. This  seemed  to  her  to  express  her  opinion 
on  the  subject  with  ample  sufficiency,  for  she  said 
not  another  word  until  they  reached  the  office. 

The  windows  were  opened,  the  correspondence 
attended  to,  and  the  "  young  man  "  received  his 
instructions  for  the  stock  exchange.  The  own- 
ers of  the  firm  of  Moritz  Haider's  Daughters 
could  not  enter  the  sacred  halls  themselves,  and 
were  therefore  compelled  to  stand  outside  the 
doors  and  let  their  clerk  tell  them  of  conditions 
within,  and  fulfill  their  orders.  The  day's  duties 
went  on  in  their  accustomed  way.  Martha  at- 


THE     THIRD     SEX  55 

tended  to  the  correspondence  and  Hildegard 
buried  herself  in  the  ledger.  But  the  lines  of 
figures  seemed  to  have  no  meaning  to-day,  her 
thoughts  were  elsewhere.  These  stupid  love  af- 
fairs, why  cannot  one  thrust  the  stuff  out  of  one's 
brain  with  a  single  exertion  of  the  will?  Too 
idiotic!  And  then  this  ugly  feeling  that  she  had 
made  a  fool  of  herself  before  her  friends  with 
her  silly  boasting.  Still,  it  had  been  rather  an- 
noying, the  ironical  remarks  of  the  de  Fries  girl, 
and  the  general  doubt  in  the  possibility  that  she, 
Hildegard  Haider,  who  had  carried  many  a  dif- 
ficult enterprise  successfully  to  a  close,  could 
make  a  man  fall  in  love  with  her  I  Of  itself,  the 
question  did  not  interest  her.  She  didn't  need  a 
man,  thank  fortune,  but  she  would  like  to  show 
those  women  that  she  knew  men  better  than  they 
did,  and  that  a  woman  had  really  only  to  wish 
it,  to  get  anything  she  desired  from  the  so-called 
stronger  sex.  She  wouldn't  say  another  word 
about  it  to  anyone,  but  she  would  just  catch  the 
chosen  object  by  the  collar,  and  shake  him  until 
he  dropped  at  her  feet,  murmuring  foolishness. 
She  drew  a  glowing  mental  picture  of  her  tri- 
umph, and  arranged  the  entire  plan  of  battle. 
One  trifle  alone  was  still  wanting  and  that  was 
the  proper  subject  for  the  experiment.  She 


56  THE     THIRD     SEX 

knew  men  enough,  business  friends,  married  and 
unmarried.  But  it  would  hardly  be  wise,  and 
might  injure  the  good  name  of  the  firm,  if  she 
took  up  with  one  of  the  married  ones.  The 
others  would  be  too  easy  a  prey,  for  she  was  con- 
sidered a  good  catch,  and  she  knew  that  any  vows 
addressed  to  her  would  be  made  more  because  of 
her  bank  account  than  for  her  personal  charms. 
She  must  find  someone  who  did  not  know  that 
she  was  a  banker,  some  man  who  saw  in  her  only 
a  well-built,  bright  girl  of  mature  years. 

A  customer  happened  in  just  then,  to  ask  if 
this  were  the  proper  moment  to  sell  certain  se- 
curities. Without  giving  the  matter  much 
thought,  she  answered  in  the  negative,  saying 
that  the  stock  was  bound  to  rise  shortly.  But 
the  man  had  scarcely  left  the  office  when  she  re- 
membered having  heard  on  good  authority  that 
the  enterprise  in  question  was  on  the  brink  of 
disaster.  Her  business  conscience  awoke,  and 
she  sat  down  to  write  the  customer  the  true  state 
of  the  case,  but  it  was  so  hard  for  her  to  con- 
centrate her  thoughts  that  the  few  lines  took  half 
an  hour  in  the  writing.  Her  headache  was  un- 
bearable. She  threw  down  the  pen,  told  her  sister 
she  could  do  no  more  work  that  day,  and  asked 
her  to  look  after  things.  Martha  protested,  for 


THE    THIRD    SEX  57 

after  Box's  friendly  admonitions  she  was  not  par- 
ticularly clear  as  to  brain  herself. 

"  I  don't  care!  I  can't  and  I  won't  stay,  even 
if  I  have  to  shut  up  the  old  place!  "  With  this 
declaration  Box  left  the  office.  She  hurried 
home,  hung  up  her  long  skirt,  put  on  her  cap, 
then  sprang  on  her  wheel  and  made  quick  time 
out  of  the  city.  In  her  hurry  she  even  forgot 
Schampus  —  if  he  knew  she  was  out  wheeling 
without  him,  he  would  never  forgive  her ! 

She  thought  of  the  dog  a  moment,  then  de- 
cided it  was  better  not  to  think  at  all.  It  isn't 
safe  to  indulge  in  thought  when  riding  a  wheel 
anyway,  which  is  one  of  the  chief  good  qualities 
of  this  ideal  mode  of  locomotion.  She  rode 
along  the  Isar  to  Thalkirchen,  pushed  her  wheel 
up  the  hill,  then  took  the  road  past  the  villas  of 
Ludwigshohe,  toward  Grosshesselohe.  It  was  a 
beautiful  day,  a  trifle  hot  perhaps,  and  the  road 
not  of  the  best,  for  the  sun  had  made  hard  ridges 
of  the  ruts  left  by  the  last  rain,  and  made  great 
caution  necessary.  But  it  was  so  quiet  and  so 
peaceful,  the  sky  so  clear,  and  the  air  so  pure 
and  full  of  forest  odors,  and  then,  best  of  all, 
one  couldn't  think!  Suppose  she  experimented 
on  Dr.  Reithmeyer?  That  would  be  a  triumph. 
It  was  true  that  he  was  supposed  to  be  much  in 


58  THE     THIRD     SEX 

love  with  his  Claire,  he  even  wanted  to  marry 
her.  Still,  the  affair  had  lasted  two  years  al- 
ready, and  he  was  only  a  man.  What  a  fine 
idea!  But  scarce  had  it  occurred  to  her,  when 
Box  found  herself  lying  beside  her  machine  on 
the  edge  of  the  road.  The  rear  wheel  had 
caught  in  a  hard  deep  rut  and  bowled  her  over. 
The  right  handle  bar  hit  her  a  blow  on  the  shoul- 
der, and  the  pedal  raised  a  painful  lump  on  her 
leg,  besides  tearing  a  great  hole  in  her  stocking. 
Miss  Hildegard  swore  aloud,  and  clasped  her 
shoulder  with  one  hand  and  her  leg  with  the 
other.  Then  she  gave  the  bicycle  an  angry  kick 
and  sat  upright  to  take  stock  of  the  situation. 
The  mishap  had  occurred  in  the  uphill  cut  be- 
tween Ludwigshohe  and  the  railroad  bridge  at 
Grosshesselohe.  Worst  of  all  she  hadn't  even 
a  pin  with  her  to  make  the  necessary  repairs  to 
her  stocking,  and  the  bumps  hurt.  She  was 
breathless  and  perspiring  besides,  from  the  sharp 
pace  at  which  she  had  been  riding.  She  pushed 
her  wheel  up  the  gentle  incline  at  the  side  of  the 
road  until  it  was  hidden  by  the  trees,  and  then 
she  looked  about  for  a  comfortable  place  to  rest. 
But  there  were  ants  in  one  spot,  too  much  under- 
brush in  another,  stones  or  toadstools  elsewhere, 
or  too  much  sunlight;  nothing  quite  suited  her 


THE    THIRD    SEX  59 

and  she  must  have  gone  at  least  fifty  paces  from 
the  roadway  without  finding  a  proper  place. 

Suddenly  she  saw  something  gleaming  between 
the  trees.  It  was  two  bicycles,  a  man's  and  a 
woman's,  leaning  amicably  one  on  the  other. 
Box  crept  carefully  a  few  steps  further,  then 
stopped  to  listen,  for  she  had  heard  voices  al- 
though the  words  were  indistinguishable.  Just 
a  little  beyond  she  came  to  the  edge  of  a  tiny 
precipice  and  looked  down  on  a  little  trough-like 
hollow,  and  there,  on  the  opposite  flower-strewn 
slope,  she  saw  the  owners  of  the  two  handsome 
machines.  She  sat  in  the  grass  with  her  lap  full 
of  flowers,  weaving  a  wreath,  and  he  lay  out- 
stretched before  her,  gazing  at  her,  and  tenderly 
stroking  her  legs  in  their  gray  silk  stockings.  It 
was  really  a  very  pretty  picture,  and  Box  ducked 
noiselessly  behind  the  nearest  bush,  so  as  not  to 
disturb  the  pair.  It  was  a  pity  she  could  not 
hear  what  he  was  saying  to  her,  but  she  could 
judge  from  the  lady's  face  that  it  must  have  been 
something  very  agreeable,  for  she  looked  bliss- 
fully happy,  and  ran  her  fingers  through  his  hair 
now  and  then  with  a  laughing  warning.  "  Oh, 
no!  please  don't!  you  mustn't  say  such  things! 
but  you  are  a  dear  boy!  " 

Her  wreath  was  finished,  and  she  took  off  her 


60  THE    THIRD    SEX 

hat  to  press  the  flowers  on  her  heavy  pale  blonde 
hair. 

"Am  I  pretty?"  she  cried  merrily,  brushing 
the  unused  blossoms  from  her  lap.  Her  com- 
panion threw  himself  around,  laid  his  head  on 
her  knee,  and  held  out  his  arms.  He  asked  a 
question  so  softly  that  Box  could  not  hear  it,  but 
she  heard  the  answer  in  the  woman's  clear  high 
voice.  **  Of  course,  I  love  you  very  much,  but 
you  mustn't " 

But  he  let  her  go  no  further,  and  drew  her 
head  down  to  his,  closing  her  mouth  with  kisses. 
Then  he  threw  himself  around  again,  and  pressed 
her  to  him  so  violently  that  the  dainty  little  fig- 
ure was  lost  behind  his  broad  back.  And  all  of 
a  sudden  they  both  rolled  down  the  slope,  falling 
apart,  and  she  scolded  him  and  laughed,  and  he 
laughed,  too,  and  they  brushed  the  pine  needles 
'from  each  other's  clothes,  and  put  on  their  hats 
again.  Her  pretty  wreath  was  crushed  and 
broken,  and  he  had  lost  his  penknife. 

"  That's  the  punishment,"  she  said.  "  You 
wouldn't  be  good!"  And  he  kissed  her  again, 
and  she  kissed  him,  and  finally  they  found  the 
knife  and  walked  slowly  to  the  wheels,  his  arm 
around  her  waist,  her  hand  on  his  shoulder. 

Miss    Hildegard    Haider    remained    in    her 


THE     THIRD     SEX  61 

hiding  place,  pondering  deeply.  Now  she  had 
seen  it  for  herself,  with  her  own  eyes,  this  cele- 
brated love-making  they  talked  so  much  about. 
Hm !  it  really  was  very  pretty,  quite  as  charming, 
indeed,  as  the  silly  poems  make  it  out  to  be.  She 
would  very  much  have  liked  to  know  what  sort 
of  people  these  two  were  —  the  gentleman  looked 
familiar  to  her  somehow,  but  she  had  not  been 
able  to  see  his  face  plainly.  She  sprang  to  her 
feet,  forgetting  the  bumps  and  the  hole  in  her 
stocking;  she  must  follow  this  couple  and  see 
what  happened  further,  for  she  wanted  to  find 
out  how  one  must  act  when  in  love.  She  wanted 
to  learn  all  about  it  this  very  day,  this  beautiful 
summer  day! 

She  pushed  her  machine  back  to  the  road,  but 
in  the  moment  of  mounting  discovered  that  the 
steering  gear  had  been  bent  by  the  fall.  As  she 
was  looking  over  her  tools  for  the  proper  screw- 
driver, a  cyclist  pedaling  past  stopped,  jumped 
off  his  wheel  beside  her  and  inquired,  with  a  po- 
lite raising  of  his  cap:  "  You  have  had  a  mis- 
hap? Can  I  be  of  service?" 

Box  replied  with  some  indefinite  phrases,  for 
it  was  one  of  her  many  principles  not  to  accept 
such  chance  attentions.  But  the  young  man  was 
not  to  be  deterred  from  examining  the  damage. 


62  THE    THIRD     SEX 

He  calmly  took  the  tools  from  her  hand,  and 
set  the  bar  straight  again.  Without  being  asked, 
he  gave  his  opinion  as  to  the  style  of  her  ma- 
chine, and  was  anxious  to  know  if  she  had  hurt 
herself  in  the  fall. 

By  rights,  Box  should  have  found  all  this 
somewhat  officious,  but  the  young  man's  manner 
was  so  easy  and  amiable  that  she  could  not  be 
angry  with  him.  Smilingly,  she  showed  him  the 
hole  in  her  stocking. 

"  Good,"  he  exclaimed  merrily,  "  I  can  rem- 
edy that."  He  took  a  tiny  leather  case  from  his 
pocket,  and  showed  her  that  it  contained  some 
medicines,  court  plaster,  bandage  and  sewing 
materials. 

"  I  have  carried  this  case  as  long  as  I  have 
been  riding  a  wheel,"  he  continued,  "  and  have 
never  yet  had  occasion  to  use  it.  I  bless  your 
mishap!  If  you  will  permit  me,  I  will  try  my 
very  defective  talent  for  sewing  on  your  stock- 
ing." 

Box  found  herself  thinking  this  young  man 
very  agreeable.  She  did  not  raise  much  objec- 
tion to  his  assistance,  for  she  was  a  rank  amateur 
in  such  matters.  So  she  sat  down  at  the  road- 
side while  he  knelt  before  her,  and  with  needle 
and  thread  —  white  thread,  it  must  be  confessed 


THE    THIRD    SEX  63 

—  pulled  together  the  huge  three-cornered  hole 
in  her  black  stocking.  She  declared  his  per- 
formance most  satisfactory,  considering  the  cir- 
cumstances. 

"  Wait  a  moment,  I  can  improve  on  it,"  he 
exclaimed,  and  taking  a  fountain  pen  from  his 
pocket,  he  skillfully  colored  the  white  thread  with 
the  ink.  "  There  now,"  he  cried,  pleased  with 
his  good  idea,  "  you  must  confess  I  have  done  my 
work  marvelously  well." 

"  I  shall  take  pleasure  in  recommending  you  to 
my  friends,"  she  answered  in  amusement,  and 
took  the  hand  he  offered  to  assist  her  in  rising. 
Never  before  had  she  let  a  man  help  her  on  her 
feet,  but  this  one  was  really  very  nice.  She 
thought  him  quite  good-looking,  too,  although  he 
was  not  in  any  way  remarkable  in  appearance. 
He  was  rather  small,  apparently  about  her  own 
size,  but  well  built,  with  plenty  of  muscle,  as  was 
shown  by  the  modishly  cut  suit  he  wore.  His 
face  had  an  expression  of  good-natured  intelli- 
gence, the  eyes  were  too  small  and  too  colorless, 
the  nose  too  flat  and  the  lips  too  thin,  while  the 
beard  was  lacking  entirely.  But  his  brown  hair 
was  prettily  curled,  his  ears  remarkably  small  and 
well-shaped,  as  were  also  his  hands  and  feet. 
His  skin  was  pale,  and  showed  many  little  blem- 


64  THE     THIRD     SEX 

ishes  —  but  what  young  man  hasn't  a  pimple  or 
two?  Miss  Hildegard  Haider  was  ready  to 
swear  that  even  Juliet's  Romeo  must  have  had 
pimples,  although  Shakespeare  does  not  make 
any  mention  of  the  fact. 

Here  was  a  stroke  of  luck !  This  was  the  very 
object  she  was  wishing  for,  this  young  man 
should  be  the  victim  for  her  experiment!  Who 
might  he  be?  He  was  of  good  family  appar- 
ently, and  a  stranger,  for  he  spoke  with  an  in- 
teresting foreign  accent.  And  he  knew  her  as 
little  as  she  knew  him,  that  was  the  main 
thing. 

"  Were  you  going  this  way,  and  would  you 
allow  me  to  accompany  you  ?  "  he  asked  politely, 
as  they  made  ready  to  mount  their  wheels. 

"Oh,  please  —  that  is "  Box  hesitated. 

She  really  didn't  know  what  the  average  young 
German  girl  would  do  in  such  a  case.  An  added 
allurement  through  gentle  resistance  would  prob- 
ably be  considered  the  proper  thing,  but  she 
didn't  know  just  how  to  show  this  gentle  re- 
sistance. She  felt  herself  blushing  in  her  embar- 
rassment. Heavens,  she  could  blush!  In  her 
joy  at  the  discovery  she  blurted  out: 

"  All  right,  come  along  then ;  want  to  go  to 
Grunwald?" 


THE     THIRD     SEX  65 

"  With  the  greatest  pleasure,  anywhere  you 
say." 

They  rode  to  the  railway  station,  and  pushed 
their  wheels  across  the  bridge,  from  which  the 
well-known  view  over  Munich  and  the  Isar  val- 
ley can  be  enjoyed.  Half-way  over,  they  halted 
to  admire  the  beauty  of  the  picture. 

"  I  am  glad  I  am  not  alone  on  this  bridge," 
remarked  the  young  man.  "  The  thought  of  a 
spring  from  here  has  something  very  alluring  for 
me.  The  water  below  is  like  milk  in  a  green 
glass.  A  bath  in  milk,  a  very  poetic  image, 
don't  you  think?  And  then  a  salto  mortale  in 
the  face  of  the  whole  city,  as  it  were,  and  yet  in 
sun-bathed  solitude  —  it  has  something  so  dis- 
creetly sensational  about  it.  One  would  turn 
over  two  or  three  times  en  route,  and  the  air 
pressure  would  kill  one  before  the  water  was 
reached.  Suicide  elegant!  Don't  you  agree 
with  me?  " 

"  He's  trying  to  make  himself  interesting,"  she 
thought,  but  she  said  merely:  "  Famous  idea 
that,  but  you'll  leave  the  carrying  out  of  it  for 
some  future  time,  won't  you?" 

"  Who  knows,"  he  answered  with  a  shrug 
which  might  mean  anything.  "  What  is  life 
worth  anyway?  My  life  at  least?  This  is  not 


66  THE    THIRD    SEX 

the  first  bridge  upon  which  I  have  stood  with 
such  thoughts,  nor  the  first  track-rail  upon  which 
I  have  longed  to  throw  myself.  I  am  four-and- 
twenty,  ah,  yes  I  but  there  are  countries  where 
youth  cannot  come  to  happy  maturity.  Permit 
me  to  introduce  myself,  by  the  way." 

He  put  his  hand  to  his  breast  pocket,  took  out 
a  dainty  card-case  of  green  leather,  ornamented 
with  gold  initials  surmounted  by  a  crown,  and 
handed  her  his  card. 

Le  Baron  Raoul  de  Kerkhove, 
Docteur  en  philosophic. 

"  Ah,  you  are  French  —  or  Belgian,  perhaps  ? 
From  Flanders,  judging  by  your  name?"  queried 
Hildegard,  with  curiosity. 

"  No,  I  am  from  the  Baltic  Provinces, 
refugie,"  he  replied,  seeking  her  glance  with  an 
elegiac  expression  which  seemed  to  say:  "  Can 
you  now  measure  my  sorrow?  " 

She  made  a  somewhat  unsuccessful  attempt  at 
a  courtesy.  "  My  name  is  Hildegard  Schneider. 
I  am  visiting  an  aunt  here." 

"An  aunt?     Oh,  dear,"  he  echoed. 

"  Does  that  disturb  you?  " 

"A  little  perhaps."  He  smiled  gently. 
"  Some  aunts  are  so  disagreeable." 


THE    THIRD    SEX  67 

"  Mine  is  quite  passable,"  said  Box,  amused. 

"  It  would  seem  so,  since  she  allows  you  to 
ride  out  unattended." 

"Allows  me?     How  delightful." 

"  You  appear  to  be  of  a  very  independent  na- 
ture." 

"  Yes,  I  fancy  one  could  call  it  that,"  giggled 
Box. 

He  looked  at  her,  and  gave  a  droll  sigh. 

"Does  that  disturb  you,  also?"  she  asked. 

"  Oh,  no !  quite  the  contrary.  Really  inde- 
pendent women  are  so  rare,  and  we  need  them 
sorely." 

"  But  why  do  you  sigh?" 

"  Did  I  sigh?  Oh,  about  life  in  general,  I 
fancy;  it  has  so  much  that  is  beautiful." 

"  Why,  yes,  I  believe  you.  For  instance, 
beautiful  summer  days,  beautiful  views,  beautiful 
cycle  paths " 

"  Yes,  and  by  the  roadside  sit  beautiful  young 
ladies,  with  beautiful  holes  in  their  stockings." 

"  A  sweet  young  man,"  thought  Box,  and  sug- 
gested that  they  continue  their  ride.  They  nat- 
urally chose  the  wood  path,  as  do  all  sensible 
cyclists,  for  wheeling  is  forbidden  there.  She 
rode  on  ahead  to  set  the  pace,  and  he  followed 
close  behind.  The  rubber  tires  glided  noise- 


68  THE     THIRD     SEX 

lessly  over  the  smooth  carpet  of  needles,  and 
every  now  and  then  the  shining  machines  sprang 
gayly  as  young  fawns  over  the  tree  roots  stretch- 
ing themselves  like  fat  lazy  snakes  across  the 
path.  Miss  Hildegard  Haider  was  as  happy  as 
if  she  had  just  received  a  telegram  to  the  effect 
that  her  Turkish  Consols  had  gone  up  to  76^, 
much  happier,  indeed.  Her  headache  had  disap- 
peared entirely.  What  a  charming  young  man 
this  was,  and  so  interesting,  too!  A  Baron, 
refugie,  Baltic  Provinces,  deep  sorrow,  docteur 
en  philosophief  she  had  not  imagined  such  good 
luck  possible.  How  would  he  be  likely  to  be- 
have if  she  allured  him  into  that  hidden  hollow 
on  the  return  route?  Anyway  she  would  begin 
by  making  a  wreath.  Mercy!  Was  she  falling 
in  love  with  the  young  man?  Nonsense!  It 
was  probable  that  by  to-morrow  morning  she 
would  think  him  a  silly  little  monkey,  but  for  the 
present  moment  he  was  just  about  right. 

It  was  almost  eleven  o'clock  when  they 
reached  Grunwald.  They  turned  in  at  the  Cas- 
tle Inn,  and  were  looking  about  for  a  pretty  and 
shady  seat  when  they  suddenly  became  aware  of 
another  pair  of  cyclists.  Hello!  There  were 
the  couple  from  the  flowery  hollow,  the  large, 
brown-mixed  gentleman  and  the  charming  blonde 


THE     THIRD     SEX  69 

in  the  white  shirt  waist,  gray  cloth  knickerbock- 
ers and  gray  silk  stockings.  How  pretty  she 
was,  with  her  graceful,  almost  boyishly  slender 
figure  and  her  rich  ashen  blond  hair!  And  how 
well  her  clothes  became  her,  fitting  her  with  such 
easy  natural  style,  from  the  simple  straw  hat  with 
its  white  veil,  down  to  the  little  black  shoes. 
Box  forgot  her  escort  completely  and  stood  in 
the  entrance  to  the  veranda,  her  eyes  fixed  on  the 
charming  picture. 

But  the  lady  touched  her  companion,  and  the 
brown-mixed  gentleman  turned  to  look  at  the  in- 
truders. 

My  goodness !  Why,  that  was  —  of  course 
it  was!  She  had  met  him  socially  and  in  busi- 
ness, although  he  was  not  one  of  her  more  inti- 
mate circle  of  acquaintances;  but  there  could  be 
no  mistake,  it  was  Mr.  Franz  Xaver  Pirngruber, 
the  well-known  genre  painter. 

"Well,  well,  well!"  thought  Box.  Franz 
Xaver  Pirngruber  was  a  man  of  forty  or  there- 
abouts, most  agreeably  situated  in  life.  For  not 
only  did  he  sell  his  pictures  well,  but  he  was  also 
the  possessor  of  a  wealthy  and  beautiful  wife, 
and  six  lovely  children,  who  were  a  bone  of  con- 
tention among  all  the  photographers  of  Munich. 

"  Just    wait,"    thought    Box.     "  I'll    frighten 


7o  THE     THIRD     SEX 

you,  all  right."  And  she  walked  briskly  to  the 
table  where  sat  the  happy  couple,  holding  out  her 
strong  right  hand  to  the  brown-mixed  gentleman. 
"  Good  morning,  Mr.  Pirngruber,  delighted  to 
meet  you!  It  was  sensible  of  you  to  come  out 
and  enjoy  this  lovely  day  instead  of  wasting  it 
shut  up  in  a  studio.  All  well  at  home?  How  is 
Mrs.  Pirngruber?  I  haven't  seen  her  for  some 
time." 

She  chatted  on  merrily,  and  Mr.  Pirngruber's 
friendly  open  countenance  expressed  plainly  that 
he  would  have  preferred  to  answer  her  with  a 
hearty,  "Go  to  the  devil!"  But  as  a  man  of 
breeding,  he  said  instead:  "  Many  thanks,  my 
wife  is  doing  the  watering  places.  About  this 
time  of  year  she  begins  to  feel  the  necessity  of 
showing  herself  at  the  most  fashionable  of  them. 
I  have  too  much  to  do  to  go  with  her,  unfortu- 
nately. So  you  too  have  come  out  for  the  day, 
Miss  Haider?" 

"  Schneider ! "  whispered  Box,  in  alarmed 
haste.  And  as  Mr.  Pirngruber  looked  his  aston- 
ishment, she  added:  "Please  don't  give  me 
away;  my  name  is  Schneider  to-day." 

Mr.  Pirngruber  saw  the  young  man  in  the 
background  and  understood.  He  smiled  a  mean- 


THE     THIRD     SEX  71 

ing  smile  and  with  a  wave  of  his  hand  toward 
his  beautiful  companion,  he  said: 

"  Permit  me  to  make  you  acquainted  with  my 
niece,  Mrs.  von  Robiceck." 

The  ladies  bowed  politely  to  one  another,  and 
then  Box  motioned  up  her  young  man  and  intro- 
duced him: 

"  My  cousin,  Baron  Raoul  de  Kerkhove,  doc- 
teur  en  philosophic." 

Bows,  meaning  glances,  four  congenial  souls 
had  met  and  understood  each  other! 

Mr.  Pirngruber  and  Mrs.  von  Robiceck,  (her 
name  was  probably  as  much  Robiceck  as  Box's 
was  Schneider)  were  already  deep  in  the  enjoy- 
ment of  several  pairs  of  white  sausage  with  beer, 
and  Box  had  no  intention  of  hard-heartedly  dis- 
turbing their  idyl.  After  a  few  polite  phrases 
she  withdrew  with  her  escort  to  a  far  corner  of 
the  garden,  to  sample  likewise  the  white  sausage. 
This  delicately  compounded  specialty  of  the 
Munich  sausage-maker's  art,  particularly  when 
combined  with  the  lighter  brown  beers,  seems  to 
exert  a  remarkably  soothing  influence  on  the 
nerves.  Harmonious  natures,  such  as  retired 
grocers,  royal  policemen,  and  Bavarian  deputies, 
consider  the  white  sausage  finer  than  the  oyster. 


72  THE     THIRD     SEX 

Why,  then,  should  not  happy  lovers  enjoy  its 
mild  charms?  Box  ordered  white  sausage  and 
beer. 

But  the  conversation  did  not  flourish,  for 
Baron  Raoul  de  Kerkhove  was  suddenly  struck 
dumb.  Hildegard  noticed  that  he  glanced  over 
to  the  other  couple  more  often  than  was  natural 
or  excusable,  especially  when  he  raised  his  glass 
to  his  lips,  as  he  seemed  to  think  she  would  not 
notice  it  then.  Talk  at  the  other  table  was  not 
particularly  lively  either,  and  the  two  ate  their 
lunch  in  evident  impatience.  There  was  a  gen- 
eral feeling  of  embarrassment  on  both  sides.  In 
about  ten  minutes,  Master  Franz  Xaver  Pirn- 
gruber  rose  with  his  beautiful  companion,  and 
bowed  politely  as  he  passed  their  table,  saying: 
"  Au  revoir,  Miss  Schneider.  We're  going  for 
a  little  walk  in  the  woods,  please  don't  let  us  dis- 
turb you.  By-by." 

The  charming  lady  bent  her  graceful  head  just 
a  little,  and  the  two  ran  lightly  down  the  steep 
slope  to  the  river.  When  they  were  out  of  hear- 
ing the  Baron  inquired  eagerly  who  they  were. 

"  Don't  you  know  Franz  Xaver  Pirngruber?  " 
exclaimed  Box.  "  He  is  one  of  our  favorite 
genre  painters.  You  must  have  seen  some  of  his 
things  —  funny  peasant  scenes,  and  such." 


THE     THIRD     SEX  73 

"  Yes,  I  think  I  remember  now,"  replied  the 
Baron,  indifferently.  "  And  who  is  the  charm- 
ing young  lady,  Mrs.  von  Robiceck,  I  think  it 
was?" 

"  Hm!  yes;  at  least  that  was  the  name  I  un- 
derstood," said  Box,  lifting  her  black  brows. 
"  A  model  probably,  she  is  so  well  built." 

"A  model?  Oh,  you  are  joking!"  cried  the 
young  man,  almost  shocked.  "  This  exquisite 
delicacy,  this  aristocratic  grace,  oh,  it  is  impossi- 
ble !  " 

Box  shrugged  her  shoulders.  "  Nothing  is 
impossible  in  that  quarter.  There  are  non-pro- 
fessional models,  too." 

The  young  man  sat  silent  and  in  thought.  He 
pressed  a  white  sausage  through  his  teeth,  then 
laid  the  empty  skin  on  his  plate  with  a  grimace 
and  remarked: 

"  That  is  an  enjoyment  one  must  be  born  to  to 
appreciate." 

As  his  companion  had  nothing  to  say  to  this, 
he  drank  a  long  swallow  of  beer,  and  asked  for 
permission  to  light  a  cigarette.  He  took  out  a 
pretty  case  of  Tula  silver  with  gold  lining,  and 
offered  it  to  Miss  Schneider.  She  took  a  cigar- 
ette and  they  began  to  smoke.  The  Baron 
gazed  thoughtfully  at  the  gray  rings  that  came  in 


74  THE     THIRD     SEX 

artistic  perfection  from  his  lips,  and  made  an- 
other remark:  "It  must  be  rather  nice,  some- 
times, to  be  a  painter." 

"Think  so?"  said  Box,  crossly.  "I  consider 
painting  a  foolish  sort  of  occupation,  just  about 
one  degree  better  than  fishing.  But  pardon  me, 
if  you  don't  paint,  what  are  you  doing  here  in 
Munich?  All  the  strangers  who  come  here, 
come  to  paint." 

"  Alas,  I  have  no  talent  of  any  kind,"  an- 
swered the  young  man,  pathetically.  "  Art  is  a 
sealed  book  to  me.  I  am  busied  with  the  pre- 
paratory studies  for  a  great  sociological  work, 
and  then  I  am  also  preparing  myself  for  a  jour- 
ney around  the  world.  I  am  waiting  for  the 
outcome  of  a  lawsuit  upon  which  will  depend 
whether  I  possess  a  million  rubles  more  or  less. 
At  present,  I  must  make  out  with  a  paltry  ten 
thousand  a  year." 

"  I  should  imagine  that  was  quite  enough  for 
one  young  man,"  said  Box. 

"  I  must  make  it  do.  I  have  a  little  furnished 
apartment  of  four  rooms  in  the  Schellingstrasse, 
but  have  not  even  a  servant  of  my  own.  I  must 
ride  hired  horses,  something  that  was  not  prophe- 
sied at  my  cradle,  I  can  assure  you.  My  father 
died  in  Siberia,  you  understand,  and  the  govern- 


THE    THIRD     SEX  75 

ment  confiscated  the  greater  part  of  his  estates. 
But  there  is  now  a  well-founded  hope  that  my 
family  may  win  its  case.  I  am  waiting  the  result 
here." 

Box  played  with  the  silver  cigarette  case,  and 
said  some  admiring  words  about  it. 

"Its  actual  value  is  not  much,"  he  answered, 
with  an  expressive  glance  of  his  gray  eyes. 
"  But  I  prize  it  as  my  most  cherished  treasure. 
It  was  a  present  from  my  uncle,  Prince  Krapot- 
kin." 

"Not  the  well-known  Nihilist  leader?" 

"  The  same."  He  smiled  strangely. 
"  Please  do  not  betray  me.  The  police  in  your 
country  have  so  much  time  on  their  hands  to 
busy  themselves  with  harmless  foreigners." 

"Mercy!  are  you  one  of  those  —  of  that 
kind,  too?"  exclaimed  Box  in  lively  curios- 
ity. 

"I,  Mademoiselle?"  he  smiled  his  mysteri- 
ous smile  again.  "  I  told  you  I  am  from  the 
Baltic  Provinces,  my  father  died  in  Siberia  — 
for  the  rest,  I  have  studied  philosophy." 

"  Oh  dear  I  oh  dear !  what  a  delightfully  un- 
canny young  man  you  are,"  whispered  Box 
highly  amused.  "  You  have  so  many  pockets 
and  so  many  pretty  little  cases  in  them,  haven't 


76  THE     THIRD     SEX 

you  a  gold  snuff-box  with  dynamite  among  the 
lot?" 

"  Mademoiselle,  there  are  some  things  about 
which  one  should  never  joke,"  he  answered 
gravely. 

"As  for  instance?" 

"  For  instance,  one's  country,  and  love." 

"Aren't  you  going  to  eat  that  last  sausage?" 
asked  Box,  rather  inapropos.  "  Then  please  let 
me  make  this  hideous  dog  happy  with  it."  She 
threw  the  sausage  to  a  lazy  black  monstrosity  of 
a  dog,  which  wandered  about  on  crooked 
dachshund  legs,  betraying  unabashed  the  dis- 
grace of  its  ancestors,  who  had  evidently  had  lit- 
tle regard  for  the  purity  of  the  race.  Then  she 
called  the  waitress,  paid  her  little  bill,  (she 
would  not  hear  of  the  Baron  doing  it,)  and 
sprang  up,  saying  cheerily:  "  Well,  then,  Baron, 
if  it  please  you,  let  us  walk  in  the  woods  and  talk 
of  love." 

And  just  as  the  pretty  Mrs.  von  Robiceck  had 
done,  she  sprang  down  the  steep  slope  to  the 
river,  followed  by  her  escort.  She  soon  left  the 
path,  and  began  to  look  for  flowers  on  the  slope 
under  the  shadow  of  the  magnificent  oaks  and 
beeches.  He  helped  her  kindly,  about  as  a  good 
brother  would  aid  an  elder  sister,  and  chatted 


THE     THIRD     SEX  77 

on  about  his  childhood  on  the  immense  family 
estates  in  Livonia,  about  his  scientific  studies,  and 
his  proposed  journey  around  the  world.  It  was 
all  very  interesting,  but  a  young  man  of  breeding 
ought  to  be  able  to  think  of  something  else  to 
say,  when  engaged  in  picking  flowers  with  a 
young  lady.  If  she  had  been  in  his  place  .  .  .  ! 
But  he  was  probably  a  little  too  young,  he  needed 
encouragement.  She  had  gathered  a  clumsy  bou- 
quet and  was  hot  and  red  from  much  bending,  so 
she  threw  herself  down  on  the  thick  moss  and 
began  to  weave  a  wreath.  She  did  it  awkwardly, 
for  it  was  many  years  since  she  had  tried  making 
flower  wreaths. 

Raoul  de  Kerkhove  sat  at  her  feet  in  the  green 
moss,  and  smoked  one  cigarette  after  another. 
He  had  apparently  no  intention  whatever  of 
stroking  her  shins.  She  would  not  have  advised 
him  to  do  it,  for,  as  she  knew  herself,  she 
would  probably  have  become  exceedingly  out- 
spoken. But  he  might  at  least  have  tried!  In- 
stead of  doing  so,  however,  he  preached  a  sermon 
on  the  ethics  of  capitalism,  and  explained  to  her 
that  interest  was  the  root  of  all  evil  in  the  world. 
"  As  long  as  money  can  produce  money  without 
work,"  this  was  his  peroration,  "  we  can  have 
neither  justice  nor  contentment." 


78  THE     THIRD     SEX 

"What  do  you  expect,  then?"  answered  Box, 
slightly  irritated.  "  That's  the  law  of  nature. 
Like  produces  like,  and  without  much  work, 
either." 

"  But  money  is  not  a  living  organism,"  he 
said,  with  a  weak  attempt  to  smile  at  her  joke. 

"Isn't  it?"  she  cried.  "Well,  I  should 
rather  say  it  is,  and  a  very  complicated  one  at 
that.  You  don't  appear  to  know  much  about  it." 

Now  that  was  stupid!  She  did  not  want  him 
to  see  how  much  she  knew  about  money  matters, 
so  she  cut  off  further  remark  by  telling  him  that 
they  were  wandering  from  the  subject. 

"From  what  subject?"  he  asked  stupidly. 

"  Why,  love !  "  she  answered  impatiently,  and 
there!  her  wreath  was  torn  again.  She  held  the 
larger  piece  to  her  forehead,  and  asked,  with  as 
much  coquetry  as  she  could  muster:  "Do  you 
think  it  becoming?" 

He  was  just  lighting  a  fifth  cigarette  on  the 
stump  of  the  fourth,  but  glanced  at  her  out  of 
the  corner  of  his  eye,  and  remarked  dryly: 
"  No,  I  don't." 

"Oh,  indeed?"  said  Box  angrily.  "And 
what  would  you  have  me  wear,  if  you  wanted  me 
to  look  pretty?  " 

He  thought  the  matter  over,   and  then  said, 


THE     THIRD     SEX  79 

suddenly  beaming:     "  I  know,  a  high  silk  hat!  " 

"A  silk  hat?" 

"Yes;  I  would  put  you  on  a  prancing  steed, 
with  a  long  flowing  skirt  and  a  shiny  silk  hat; 
I  think  you  would  look  fine  that  way." 

Box  was  only  partially  mollified.  She  threw 
away  her  unsuccessful  wreath,  and  stretched  her- 
self flat  on  her  back. 

"  Please  give  me  another  cigarette,"  she  said. 
"  Isn't  this  charming!  I  could  dream  here  for 
hours." 

He  took  out  a  match,  but  she  stopped  him, 
thinking  of  the  danger  of  forest  fires.  A  police 
warning  as  to  throwing  away  burning  matches 
was  in  evidence  near  by.  "  Let  me  have  some 
of  your  own  fire,"  she  said  with  tender  meaning, 
as  she  took  her  cigarette  between  her  teeth  and 
smiled  at  him.  She  could  risk  that,  for  she  had 
beautiful  white  teeth. 

Now  if  he  had  been  at  all  promising  he  would 
have  bent  over  her  with  his  cigarette,  would  have 
gazed  deep  into  her  eyes,  and  kissed  her  without 
another  word.  But  this  unfortunate  young 
Baron  didn't  seem  to  have  a  soul  above  mending 
stockings.  He  held  out  his  cigarette  to  her  at 
the  end  of  his  arm,  as  far  away  as  possible.  And 
when  hers  was  lighted,  he  looked  away  again, 


80  THE     THIRD     SEX 

and  let  his  eyes  rest  on  her  yellow  leather  Kneipp 
sandals. 

Kneipp  sandals  were  among  Box's  twenty- 
seven  principles,  but  they  certainly  were  not 
pretty. 

"Do  you  admire  the  Russian  girls?"  queried 
Box  after  a  time,  with  but  mild  interest. 

"  I  suffer  with  them,"  answered  the  young 
man. 

"  They  are  said  to  be  so  soft  in  the  joints," 
continued  Box. 

"  Yes,  particularly  in  the  joints  of  the  soul," 
he  differentiated  cleverly.  "  They  can  be  bent 
for  good  or  for  bad,  and  when  they  love,  they 
wear  no  corsets.'* 

"  Oh,  how  extremely  interesting !  "  exclaimed 
Box  with  greater  eagerness. 

"  I  mean  only  figuratively,  of  course,"  ex- 
plained the  young  man  politely.  "  The  women 
in  this  country  seem  to  me  to  be  always  tightly 
laced  —  mentally,  I  mean;  they  are  stiff  to  the 
touch,  even  if  they  have  no  bones." 

"  I'm  not !  "  cried  Box,  stretching  herself  with 
pride. 

"  Oh,  yes,  Mademoiselle,  you  have  bones," 
said  the  young  Baron  with  quiet  gravity. 

This  didn't  satisfy  Box  either. 


THE     THIRD     SEX  81 

Raoul  de  Kerkhove  smoked  and  meditated, 
suddenly  he  raised  his  finger,  "  Hark!  " 

"What  is  it?     Oh,  that  is  a  chaffinch." 

"  I  don't  mean  the  bird,  don't  you  hear  that 
voice?  That  must  be  charming  little  Mrs.  von 
Robiceck." 

"  Suppose  it  is?  "  said  Box,  hitting  at  an  obsti- 
nate fly  with  her  cap. 

"  Let's  go  and  see  what  they  are  doing." 

Box  smiled  maliciously:  "I  wouldn't  go  too 
near,  if  I  were  you." 

•But  Raoul  de  Kerkhove  was  already  on  his 
feet  and  steering  toward  the  direction  from  which 
the  sweet  silvery  laugh  seemed  to  come.  So 
there  was  nothing  for  Box  to  do  but  to  follow 
him.  Fifty  paces  further  they  saw  the  brown- 
mixed  coat  and  the  white  shirt  waist  shining 
through  the  silvered  beech  trunks,  and  then  they 
saw  Franz  Xaver  Pirngruber,  the  master  of  the 
humoristic  brush,  raise  his  so-called  niece  in  his 
arms  until  she  could  reach  the  lowest  branch  of 
a  great  beech  tree,  whereupon  the  graceful  little 
figure  swung  itself  up,  and  climbed  lithe  as  a  cat 
from  limb  to  limb. 

"  Good  idea  1  "  said  Box,  "  I  can  do  that  too, 
and  you  needn't  help  me,  either." 

She  found  a  tree  that  did  not  look  difficult, 


82  THE     THIRD    SEX 

reached  the  first  limb  without  assistance,  and 
climbed  on  higher  and  higher.  And  when  she 
was  almost  at  the  top  under  the  very  highest 
point,  she  looked  down  triumphantly  on  her 
young  friend. 

But  he  stood  with  his  back  to  her,  staring  over 
to  the  other  beech  tree,  where  the  sweet  silvery 
laugh  of  pretty  little  Mrs.  von  Robiceck  pearled 
out  of  the  thickest  green. 

"  Idiot!  "  thought  Box,  "  I  have  greatly  over- 
rated you."  And  she  climbed  down  again, 
knowing  that  she  looked  hot  and  scratched  and 
at  a  disadvantage  generally. 

"  Bravo  1"  said  Raoul  de  Kerkhove.  "I 
have  never  seen  a  lady  rise  to  such  heights !  " 

This  was  meant  for  a  joke,  but  Box  didn't 
think  it  at  all  funny.  She  declared  with  decision 
that  she  must  go  home  now,  and  that  he  could 
stay  and  enjoy  the  society  of  charming  little  Mrs. 
von  Robiceck  as  long  as  he  liked. 

"  Oh  1  "  was  all  he  said,  as  he  climbed  back  to 
the  inn  in  her  wake.  When  they  stood  by  their 
wheels,  he  caught  her  hand  and  said  with  warm 
friendliness:  "Are  you  angry  with  me,  Made- 
moiselle? Truly  I  did  not  wish  to  offend  you." 

He  seemed  to  think  she  was  jealous,  so  she 
hastened  to  assure  him  that  she  was  not  in  the 


THE     THIRD     SEX  83 

least  angry.  He  raised  her  hand  to  his  lips  and 
kissed  it.  He  was  a  nice  boy  after  all  —  and 
so  well  brought  up!  Then  they  mounted  their 
wheels  and  rode  home  in  double  quick  time. 

And  on  that  day  they  loved  no  more,  but  they 
arranged  a  meeting  for  the  following  evening  in 
the  Blumensalen. 


CHAPTER  IV 

MR.  AND  MRS.  ARNULF  RAU  were  in- 
vited  to  supper  at  the  Reithmeyers. 
Claire  de  Fries  had  grown  rather  fond  of  Mrs. 
Katia  Rau  in  the  course  of  her  visits  to  Munich. 
It  was  impossible  for  her  to  become  very  intimate 
with  any  woman,  for  she  found  warm  friendships 
within  her  own  sex  wasteful  of  time,  and  little 
productive  of  mental  gain.  She  could  not  endure 
the  constant  chattering  for  the  mere  pleasure  of 
talking,  which  seems  indispensable  to  friendship 
among  women. 

In  this  respect,  almost  more  than  in  her  serious 
interest  for  science,  the  beautiful  Claire  was  an 
unusual  woman.  She  could  talk,  and  talk  well, 
when  the  subject  interested  her,  but  otherwise  she 
was  very  silent, —  from  sheer  laziness.  Phys- 
ically Claire  de  Fries  was  astonishingly  lazy. 
The  one  great  hardship  of  her  medical  course 
was  the  amount  of  sitting  or  standing  demanded 
by  her  studies,  and  she  made  up  for  this  sacrifice 
by  spending  most  of  her  leisure  time  flat  on  her 


THE     THIRD     SEX  85 

back.  She  was  the  only  woman  who  did  not  ride 
a  wheel,  among  her  student  comrades  and  circle 
of  acquaintances.  Mrs.  Katia  Rau  did  not 
wheel  either,  as  her  husband  disapproved,  and 
that  was  one  reason  why  Claire  found  the  clever 
little  woman  with  the  heavy  dark  hair  and  the 
mocking  black  eyes  so  sympathetic. 

And  she  could  not  deny  a  strong  measure  of 
respect  for  Mr.  Arnulf  Rau,  for  he  outdid  her 
by  considerable  in  laziness.  If  his  magnificent 
laziness  had  not  deterred  this  handsome  man 
from  preserving,  in  vile  ink,  all  the  world-mov- 
ing ideas  and  the  marvelous  works  of  art  which 
lay  complete  in  his  brain,  he  would  undoubtedly 
have  been  looked  up  to  by  the  entire  civilized 
globe  (and  not,  as  at  present,  by  himself  alone) 
as  its  leading  poet  and  thinker.  He  considered 
physical  exertion  unworthy  a  noble  mind.  "  Let 
the  herd  sweat,"  he  would  say,  and  a  celebrated 
aphorism,  which  he  had  improvised  but  never 
written  down,  ran: 

The  Free  Man  heateth  not  himself, 
The  Super-man  sweateth  not  himself. 

Following  this  principle  faithfully,  he  had 
risen,  if  not  to  the  status  of  the  Super-man,  at 
least  to  the  possession  of  a  stately  Embonpoint. 


86  THE    THIRD    SEX 

Even  Envy  must  acknowledge  that  he  was  a  hand- 
some man.  He  looked  like  Lohengrin  or  Sieg- 
fried, if  one  could  imagine  those  worthies  with 
hair  and  beard  trimmed  by  a  tasteful  barber,  and 
with  the  soft  hands  and  well-kept  nails  of  the 
modern  man  of  breeding.  A  suit  of  carefully 
chosen  cut  and  easy  elegance,  and  a  cravat  which 
was  always  odd  and  of  joyous  coloring,  com- 
pleted the  harmonious  and  agreeable  picture  of 
his  outer  man.  As  to  the  inner  man,  his  wife 
alone  could  possibly  have  given  a  true  account,  for 
his  words  showed  much  intelligence,  but  no  char- 
acter. But  his  wife  made  no  such  revelation,  she 
preferred  to  keep  the  sweet  secret  to  herself. 
And  in  whom  could  this  egotism  of  love  be  more 
pardonable,  than  in  the  wife  of  a  man,  who,  be- 
cause of  his  mental  caliber,  belonged  by  right  to 
the  whole  world? 

It  was  a  cold  supper,  such  as  the  cookless  bach- 
elor can  procure  from  the  nearest  store;  lobster 
salad,  the  finer  kinds  of  sausages,  and  various 
cheeses.  The  meal  had  been  eaten  under  the 
awning  on  the  roof.  Later,  the  cool  of  the 
Munich  evening  air  had  driven  the  party  into  the 
study,  mainly  out  of  respect  for  the  great  Arnulf, 
with  whose  views  of  life  a  catarrh  was  irrecon- 
cilable. 


THE     THIRD     SEX  87 

The  coming  Super-man,  who  will  not  perspire 
even  when  dancing,  will  also  be  spared  the 
catarrhs  of  the  common  herd. 

Claire  de  Fries  lay  outstretched  on  the  divan 
as  usual,  while  little  Mrs.  Katia  crouched  on  the 
arm  of  the  sofa  at  her  head,  running  her  pointed 
fingers  through  the  blond  curls.  The  gentlemen 
made  themselves  as  comfortable  as  possible  in  the 
two  armchairs.  All  were  smoking  cigarettes, 
with  the  exception  of  Arnulf  Rau,  who,  as  Mas- 
ter of  Himself,  was  allowed  the  liberty  of  enjoy- 
ing his  own  imported  cigar.  As  was  natural, 
the  conversation  had  worked  around  to  the  sub- 
ject which  was  still  a  burning  question  in  this 
circle,  that  is, —  whether  the  Reithmeyers  should 
marry  or  not. 

"Of  course  I  understand  entirely,  theoret- 
ically," said  Dr.  Reithmeyer,  playing  nervously 
with  the  tassel  of  his  chair,  "  that  any  official 

marriage  is  quite  unnecessary  for  us,  but " 

He  finished  the  sentence  by  a  shrug  of  the  shoul- 
ders. 

"  Theoretically,  civilized  man  stands  above  na- 
ture," began  Arnulf  Rau  after  a  short  pause  of 
meditation,  "  but  in  reality  he  has  sold  himself 
into  the  most  unworthy  slavery  just  because  of  it. 
To  rule  means  to  oppress,  does  it  not?  To  say 


88  THE     THIRD     SEX 

man  rules  nature,  means  he  oppresses  her.  He 
thinks  out  religions,  and  votes  moral  laws,  by 
means  of  which  all  that  is  natural  is  considered 
sinful,  and  sins  against  nature  declared  moral. 
It  is  only  his  petty  vanity  of  mental  sovereignty 
which  has  induced  man  to  relinquish  his  rights 
as  Super-ape.  If  it  is  a  possibility  that  in  a  state 
of  super-mankind  we  shall  have  outgrown  our 
adherence  to  the  class  of  the  mammalia,  then  per- 
haps, the  thousand  years  of  sacrifice  of  individual 
freedom  may  be  worth  while,  but  meantime  — 
but  pardon  me,  I  am  boring  you,  Madame 
Claire,"  he  concluded,  for  he  perceived  that  she 
was  suppressing  a  yawn. 

"Oh,  no,  indeed!  "  she  answered,  smiling;  "  I 
am  quite  of  your  opinion.  It  would  really  in- 
terest me  to  hear  your  ideas  about  marriage." 

"About  marriage?  With  pleasure,"  said 
Arnulf  Rau.  Running  his  soft  white  hand  gen- 
tly through  his  wavy  blond  hair  he  began  to 
preach : 

"  Were  marriage  truly  one  of  the  natural  laws, 
it  would  be  the  surest  proof  of  the  non-existence 
of  a  God.  For  inasmuch  as  this  God  has  created 
man  polygamous  and  woman  monogamous  by  in- 
stinct, he  has  made  a  lasting  union  between  them 
impossible  from  the  first,  which  would  therefore 


THE     THIRD     SEX  89 

disavow  his  claim  to  logical  action.  But  as  all 
else  in  the  scheme  of  creation  is  built  up  in  such 
flawless  logical  sequence,  it  follows  that  marriage 
cannot  be  the  disposition  either  of  God,  or  of 
Nature." 

He  made  a  slight  pause.  No  one  said  any- 
thing. Dr.  Reithmeyer  smiled  uncomfortably. 

"  The  ideal  marriage  can  be  found  many  times 
in  the  natural  world,"  continued  the  handsome 
Arnulf,  with  brows  creased  in  thought.  "  Just 
look  at  the  cock  in  the  poultry  yard,  there  you 
have  a  case  in  point.  What  pride  and  dignity 
are  his  I  How  nobly  he  bears  himself,  turning 
over  the  choicest  tidbits  to  his  womenkind,  always 
ready  for  their  protection,  and  making  light  of 
wounds  received  in  battle.  And  then  the  hens 
with  their  stupid  content,  their  cackling  zeal  in 
fulfillment  of  their  duties  I  There  you  have  fam- 
ily happiness,  true  nature,  and  individual  free- 
dom." 

"  Have  you  become  a  Mussulman,  my  dear 
friend?"  asked  Dr.  Reithmeyer,  slightly  irri- 
tated. 

"  We  need  not  introduce  personalities,"  re- 
plied Arnulf  mildly. 

"  I  can  quite  understand  that  the  life  of  the 
cock  arouses  your  envy,  my  dear  sirs,"  said  Claire 


9o  THE     THIRD     SEX 

de  Fries,  "  but  I  doubt  very  much,  if,  in  the  pres- 
ent state  of  your  development,  you  would  be  sat- 
isfied with  a  bunch  of  hens." 

"  That  is  exactly  what  my  husband  means  to 
say,"  joined  in  Mrs.  Katia.  "  That  is  just  where 
the  tragedy  of  modern  marriage  lies,  in  that  the 
man,  in  the  main,  is  still  only  the  cock,  whereas 
the  majority  of  women  have  raised  themselves 
as  far  above  the  hen  standpoint,  as  man  has 
raised  himself  above  the  apes." 

"  Precisely,"  agreed  the  handsome  man.  "  As 
soon  as  woman  desires  to  be  anything  else  than 
the  bearer  of  the  new  generation,  who  receives 
care  and  protection  in  return  for  her  labor,  she 
oversteps  her  natural  sphere.  For  him  who 
would  raise  himself  above  nature,  there  remains, 
as  I  said  before,  only  the  hardest  slavery  to  mor- 
tal moral  laws.  The  basic  physical  conditions 
for  the  sexes  have  not  changed  at  all,  but  the 
moral  viewpoint  has  changed  immensely,  and  the 
consequence  of  this  is,  that  while  man's  morality 
is  not  influenced  in  the  least  by  his  attitude  on 
sexual  questions,  woman's  morality  suffers  greatly 
by  it." 

"  Prove  it  I  "  cried  Claire,  angrily. 

"Must  I,  really?"  asked  Arnulf,  stretching 
himself  wearily.  But  as  no  one  offered  to  spare 


THE    THIRD    SEX  91 

him  the  trouble,  he  continued,  after  some  medita- 
tion :  "  It  is  very  simple.  Man's  love-excite- 
ment is  a  short,  acute  disease,  which  leaves  him 
stronger  than  before.  He  can  have  the  love- 
fever  to  such  a  degree  that  he  is  capable  of  the 
most  senseless  actions,  of  crimes  even.  Yet  when 
he  has  reached  the  goal  of  his  longing  he  is  healed, 
and  what  is  more  important,  he  is  then  no  longer 
a  sex  apparatus,  but  only  a  power-producing  or- 
ganism. Love  is  a  hampering  obstacle  for  the 
machine,  Man;  for  the  machine,  Woman,  how- 
ever, it  is  the  movens,  the  agens.  For  the  ma- 
chine, Woman,  is  planned,  I  might  say,  merely 
to  produce  the  fruits  of  love.  Of  course  this  fe- 
male machine  possesses  the  important  integral 
parts  in  common  with  the  male, —  it  could  not  be 
a  machine  without  connecting-rod,  flywheel,  and 
governor, —  and  it  can  therefore  use  its  power 
for  other  objects  than  the  one  for  which  it  is  es- 
pecially planned.  But  this  is  always  done  at  the 
cost  of  harm  to  the  machine,  and  the  product  is 
invariably  inferior." 

"  I  dispute  that,"  interpolated  Claire. 

"  But  without  success,"  replied  Arnulf  disdain- 
fully. "  The  few  women  who  have  accomplished 
anything  worth  while  in  art  or  science,  were  as  a 
usual  thing  not  womanly.  Oh,  fair  Madame 


92  THE     THIRD     SEX 

Claire,  spare  yourself  the  pains,"  he  put  in  with 
a  deprecatory  wave  of  the  hand  as  he  saw  that 
she  was  about  to  speak,  "  you  were  about  to  name 
that  unhappy  Sonja  Kowalewska,  of  course.  One 
amorous  professoress  of  mathematics  proves  as 
little  against  my  assertion,  as  the  fact  that  occa- 
sionally a  calf  is  born  with  five  legs  or  two  heads, 
proves  anything  against  the  rule  that  calves  have 
one  head  and  four  legs." 

"  By  this  style  of  argument,"  cried  the  beauti- 
ful Claire,  looking  at  him  with  pity,  "  I  could 
prove  to  you  that  man  is  the  inferior  product, 
for  there  have  been  women  who  have  accom- 
plished results  in  man's  own  field  of  labor,  whereas 
no  man  has  ever  borne  a  child." 

"  Oh,  Clarchen  I  "  said  Dr.  Reithmeyer,  gently. 

There  was  a  pause,  for  the  handsome  Arnulf 
was  offended.  His  wife  broke  the  silence  with 
a  droll  sigh,  and  then  announced  with  smiling 
pathos:  "'Man's  love  is  the  world;  woman's 
world  is  love,'  thus  sayeth  P.  A." 

"  Who's  P.  A.  ?  "  asked  Dr.  Reithmeyer  calmly. 

"  Oh,  my  dears!  how  ignorant  you  are," 
laughed  Mrs.  Katia.  "  P.  A.  is  Peter  Altenberg, 
of  course." 

"  Oh,  the  crazy  young  Viennese?  " 

"  Crazy?     Well,  yes,  in  his  style,  if  you  will. 


THE     THIRD     SEX  93 

His  intrusive  manner  might  be  called  crazy,  too, 
but  I  must  confess  I  like  Peter  Altenberg.  He 
is  like  a  bee,  he  sees  only  flowers  everywhere, 
draws  out  their  sweetness,  and  gives  it  to  the  world 
as  honey  in  return." 

Arnulf  came  to  the  assistance  of  his  wife. 
"  That  was  very  well  said.  A  little  honey  spread 
on  one's  bread  gives  pleasure,  but  it  would  be  dire 
punishment  to  have  to  eat  out  an  entire  honey- 
jar.  A  book  by  Peter  Altenberg  is  a  honey  jar, 
but  enjoyed  in  small  doses  it  is  productive  of  much 
keen  pleasure.  For  the  rest,  he  is  the  only  one 
who  sees  it  as  I  do." 

"  What  '  it '?  "  asked  Claire,  lazily. 

And  Arnulf,  "  Oh,  the  world,  life,  everything." 

Then  said  Claire  again,  after  a  pause:  "But 
you  have  not  yet  told  us  how  you  look  on  mar- 
riage, a  marriage  between  the  cock-man  and  the 
modern  woman." 

"  My  fair  friend,  you  would  still  have  your  fun 
with  me?"  returned  Arnulf  Rau,  changing  the 
position  of  his  legs. 

"  How  could  I  dare  take  such  a  liberty?  "  cried 
Claire  in  the  voice  of  innocence,  closing  her  eyes 
peacefully.  But  the  poet  and  thinker  could  not 
quite  come  to  a  decision.  He  smoked  thought- 
fully and  admired  his  finger  nails.  Dr.  Reith- 


94  THE    THIRD    SEX 

meyer  rose  and  walked  up  and  down  nervously. 

"  I  am  afraid  all  this  won't  help  us  much  in 
the  question  as  to  whether  we  shall  marry  or  not," 
he  said  in  some  irritation.  "  I  think  I'll  count  it 
off  on  my  buttons."  He  looked  down  at  the  right 
lapel  of  his  coat.  "  Yes  —  no  —  yes  —  no  — " 

Mrs.  Katia  bent  over  her  pretty  friend,  who 
wore  a  Spanish  jacket  trimmed  with  many  little 
buttons. 

"  Yes  —  no  —  yes  —  no  —  yes  —  yes !  Then 
it's  '  yes,'  "  she  cried,  clapping  her  hands. 

The  beautiful  Claire  smiled :  "  Katia,  dear, 
ask  your  husband  if  he  does  not  think  masculine 
buttons  most  to  be  believed?  " 

"  You  are  malicious  to-day,"  laughed  the  little 
dark-haired  lady,  and  kissed  her  tall  friend  on 
the  forehead.  Then,  pulling  her  saucy  face  into 
serious  folds,  she  continued: 

"  Some  day  my  husband  will  write  the  book 
on  marriage." 

Arnulf  Rau  sent  a  distrustful  glance  from  one 
to  the  other,  but  as  they  all  looked  equally  seri- 
ous, he  said :  "  I  did  think  of  doing  so  at  one 
time,  but  as  years  go  on,  I  am  becoming  convinced 
that  I  had  better  give  it  up,  for  decency's  sake." 

"  For  decency's  sake?  "  asked  Dr.  Reithmeyer, 
and  Claire  opened  her  eyes  in  curiosity. 


THE     THIRD     SEX  95 

"  Simply  because  the  naked  truth  of  almost  any 
marriage  is  unendurably  unesthetic,"  replied  Ar- 
nulf  with  gloomy  mien.  "  Much,  and  much  of 
importance,  too,  has  been  written  in  the  modern 
realistic  novel  about  the  psychology  of  marriage. 
And  due  consideration  has  also  been  given  the 
social  and  economic  conditions  upon  which  mar- 
riage to-day  must  rest.  But  one  man  only  has 
dared  to  draw  away  the  veil  from  the  brutalities 
of  the  bedroom,  one  only  —  Strindberg  —  and  he 
has  written  an  indescribably  disgusting  book." 

"  That  must  have  been  a  particularly  disgusting 
marriage,"  suggested  Dr.  Reithmeyer. 

"  Not  necessarily,"  responded  the  speaker. 
"  Question  priests  of  the  confessional,  physicians, 
lawyers,  any  others  who  have  had  the  opportunity 
of  seeing  behind  the  scenes  of  many  a  marriage, 
and  you  will  turn  in  horror  from  the  pictures  un- 
rolled before  you.  And  I  assert  that  these  are 
not  the  exceptions.  Almost  every  apparently 
harmonious  marriage  hides  somewhere  the  worm 
in  its  blossom;  the  nerves  of  even  the  most  soul- 
less Philistine  cannot  endure  what  is  sometimes 
forced  upon  them  in  the  intimacy  of  the  four  walls. 
It  costs  considerable  money  at  the  very  least,  if 
nothing  else,  to  avoid  the  coarse  realities  of  the 
married  state;  large  and  numerous  apartments, 


96  THE     THIRD     SEX 

and  the  possibility  of  taking  the  next  best  express 
train.  Believe  me,  the  saddest  tragedies  of  mar- 
riage spring  from  causes  that  would  be  infinitely 
ridiculous,  were  they  not  so  infinitely  tragic.  I 
once  loved  a  marvelous  woman.  She  had  just 
been  divorced  when  she  crossed  my  path.  She 
had  met  her  husband  in  the  way  usual  with  girls 
of  good  family.  He  was  a  man  of  intelligence, 
high  up  in  his  profession,  stately  in  appearance, 
and  very  well  off.  She  was  an  innocent,  inexperi- 
enced young  thing,  who  looked  up  to  him  with 
respect  and  admiration,  and  he  was  as  if  intoxi- 
cated by  her  beauty.  But  in  the  bridal  night  he 
so  frightened  and  horrified  her  that  she  never  re- 
covered from  it.  She  hated  him,  she  hated  even 
her  children,  she  came  near  to  insanity,  and  yet 
he  loved  her  all  the  more,  as  she  let  him  see  her 
growing  hatred.  There  was  no  other  woman  in 
the  world  for  him.  She  could  weep  in  pity  for 
the  pangs  she  made  him  endure,  and  yet  she  hated 
him  all  the  more  because  he  drew  her  pity.  She 
demanded  a  divorce,  but  he  would  not  give  her  up. 
She  accused  herself  of  infidelity,  she  threatened 
him  with  disgrace ;  then  at  last  he  let  her  go.  She 
gave  up  her  children,  she  would  not  take  a  cent 
of  money  from  him,  but  earned  a  scanty  living  by 
copying  and  translating.  She  hid  herself  from 


THE     THIRD     SEX  97 

him,  but  from  time  to  time  he  would  discover  her 
whereabouts,  and  come  to  her  whining  for  for- 
giveness and  love.  She  clung  to  me  to  find  shel- 
ter from  him,  she  loved  me  with  a  devotion  which 
was  spurred  by  the  fire  of  her  hatred  for  her 
husband.  I  saw  him  one  night,  through  a  crack 
in  the  closed  curtain  of  her  room,  standing  in  the 
street  and  gazing  up  at  the  house  like  a  madman. 
There  you  have  the  intimate  tragedy  of  a  mar- 
riage, which,  seen  from  the  outside,  must  have 
seemed  to  everyone  a  most  happy  one, —  and 
there  are  millions  and  millions  like  it." 

A  long  pause  followed,  then  Claire  sat  up,  and 
looked  the  handsome  Arnulf  full  in  the  face,  as 
she  said :  "  What  did  you  do  with  the  hus- 
band?" 

"I?  With  the  husband?"  he  asked  sur- 
prised. "  Ah,  yes.  Chance  brought  us  together 
later.  He  was  really  a  remarkable  and  withal  a 
most  charming  man.  He  made  an  invention  of 
immense  importance,  and  won  a  fortune  by  it. 
I  could  not  detect  one  unpleasant  quality  in  him. 
He  did  take  some  magnesia  occasionally,  but  took 
it  with  a  tiny  golden  spoon  from  a  golden  box. 
The  man  was  quite  satisfactory  from  an  esthetic 
point  of  view." 

"  And  what  did  you  do  with  the  wife?  " 


98  THE     THIRD     SEX 

"  Ah  —  hm !  She  soon  began  to  bore  me  by 
her  mania  for  indulging  in  indiscreet  revelations 
of  past  troubles.  Then  the  most  remarkable 
part  of  it  all  came  to  pass." 

"Aha!"  exclaimed  Dr.  Reithmeyer.  "I 
wager  she  married  her  husband  a  second 
time." 

"  No,  she  married  an  English  Major  with  a 
wooden  leg  and  shaky  hands,  and  went  to  Canada 
with  him." 

"  Fie  1  "  said  Claire  audibly. 

The  handsome  Arnulf  shrugged  his  shoulders. 
"  Que  voulez  vous,  madame,  c'est  la  vie?  "  And 
he  stood  up  to  take  a  little  exercise. 

When  his  back  was  turned  Claire  de  Fries 
grasped  little  Mrs.  Katia's  hand.  She  did  not 
look  at  her,  but  pressed  her  hand  hard  in  warm 
womanly  sympathy. 

The  bell  rang,  and  Dr.  Reithmeyer  rose  to  open 
the  door.  It  was  Martha  Haider,  who  ran  in  to 
see  Claire  about  a  proposed  excursion.  Dr. 
Reithmeyer  asked  her  to  come  in,  and  she  was  evi- 
dently unpleasantly  surprised  to  find  the  Raus 
there.  She  was  asked  to  stay,  but  said  she  could 
not  do  so,  as  her  young  friend  Baron  Raoul  de 
Kerkhove  was  waiting  downstairs  with  their 
wheels. 


THE     THIRD     SEX  99 

"  Aha !  "  teased  Dr.  Reithmeyer,  with  threat- 
ening forefinger. 

Martha  laughed  embarrassed,  and  answered: 
"  Nonsense,  little  Raoul  is  so  nice  and  so  harm- 
less." 

A  general  wish  to  have  little  Raoul  brought  up 
was  expressed,  and  to  end  the  matter,  Dr.  Reith- 
meyer ran  down  himself  to  the  street  door.  Claire 
noticed  that  Arnulf  Rau  stroked  his  hair  and 
beard  nervously,  with  a  quick  glance  in  the  mir- 
ror hanging  between  the  windows.  And  she 
smiled  gently  to  herself,  glad  of  the  interruption 
that  put  an  end  to  the  painful  discussion  on  mar- 
riage. She  took  Martha  by  the  arm  and  walked 
out  onto  the  roof  with  her,  while  the  Raus  re- 
mained silent  and  alone  in  the  room. 

The  explanation  of  little  Raoul  was  as  follows : 
After  he  had  spent  an  evening  alone  with  Hilde- 
gard  in  the  Blumensalen,  without  making  any 
greater  headway  in  her  favor  than  the  strictest 
propriety  permitted,  the  comedy  began  to  tire 
Box.  She  apostrophised  herself  with  wholesome 
candor,  and  gave  up -the  attempt  to  utilize  this 
young  man  as  the  victim  of  her  experiment.  He 
took  the  revelation  of  her  profession  with  sur- 
prise, but  without  any  evidences  of  grief,  and  then 
she  invited  him  to  call.  Here  he  met  Martha, 


ioo  THE     THIRD     SEX 

and  from  that  moment  on  had  eyes  only  for  the 
beautiful  girl.  He  followed  her  everywhere  and 
was  delighted  when  she  allowed  him  to  do  er- 
rands for  her.  He  brought  flowers  every  day, 
bought  tickets  for  theater  or  concert,  took 
Schampus  out  to  walk,  and  accompanied  Martha 
on  her  bicycle  rides.  Box  was  a  little  angered 
at  first  at  this  sudden  switching  off  of  her  inter- 
esting conquest.  But  after  twenty-four  hours  her 
anger  evaporated,  and  she  was  glad  that  her  sis- 
ter should  have  something  to  make  her  forget  her 
unfortunate  adoration  for  Arnulf  Rau.  The 
young  man  seemed  to  act  beneficially  on  Martha's 
mental  condition.  His  respectful  admiration 
flattered  her,  without  exciting  her  in  the  least. 
She  would  vent  her  moods  on  him,  and  then  make 
him  happy  again  with  her  innocent  coquetry.  It 
was  a  game  that  amused  her  very  much  and  she 
saw  no  harm  in  it,  for  the  young  man  was  only 
twenty-four,  and  about  to  take  a  journey  around 
the  world.  Martha  did  not  see  Arnulf  Rau  dur- 
ing this  period,  not  as  much  because  of  her  sister's 
harsh  methods  of  discouragement,  as  in  obedience 
to  Claire's  sensible  advice.  She  had  her  thoughts 
and  feelings  back  again  in  their  accustomed  order, 
and  managed  to  be  quite  fairly  comfortable  in 
this  transition  stage  from  a  disappointment  to  a 


THE     THIRD     SEX  101 

new  hope,  a  condition  by  no  means  new  to  her. 
Now  came  the  unexpected  meeting  with  the  man 
she  had  given  up  only  under  compulsion,  and  ter- 
ror of  the  ordeal  clutched  at  her  throat  and  red- 
dened her  cheeks  to  her  ears.  She  was  glad  to 
have  her  harmless  escort  brought  up  as  reinforce- 
ments, and  she  determined  to  make  Raoul  su- 
premely happy,  in  revenge  for  the  discomfort  the 
handsome  Arnulf  had  cost  her.  It  cost  so  little 
to  make  Raoul  very  happy. 

The  young  Baron  came  in,  was  introduced,  and 
delivered  himself  of  the  usual  phrases  of  excuse 
for  his  intrusion.  He  was  supplied  with  drinks, 
and  the  conversation  began  slowly  to  move  on- 
ward again.  As  politeness  demanded,  the  guest 
was  made  the  subject  of  the  first  remarks,  with 
questions  as  to  his  When  and  Why  and  Where, 
and  inquiries  as  to  his  studies  and  plans.  He 
contented  himself  with  the  same  interesting  reve- 
lations he  had  made  to  win  Hildegard  Haider's 
sympathy,  and  the  fair  Martha  was  proud  of  the 
impression  her  escort  seemed  to  make,  even  in 
such  intellectual  company.  She  ventured  a  secret 
side  glance  at  Arnulf  Rau,  for  she  was  curious 
to  know  what  the  Great  One  would  say  to  the 
young  stranger  with  the  pimples.  And  it  was 
with  considerable  anxiety  that  she  noticed  a  swell- 


102  THE    THIRD    SEX 

ing  about  her  oracle's  throat,  something  that  al- 
ways happened  when  the  potentiality  of  criticism 
within  him  demanded  expression. 

And  the  handsome  man  was  already  opening 
his  mouth.  Fixing  his  stern  glance  on  the  young 
Baron's  yellow  shoes,  he  began:  "  I  believe  to 
have  understood  from  your  remarks  that  you  are 
preparing  yourself  to  join  in  the  conflict  against 
absolutism."  And  as  Raoul  de  Kerkhove  looked 
at  him,  uncertain  as  to  whether  he  ought  to  say 
just  simply  "yes,"  the  other  continued:  "I  am 
no  spy,  Baron,  you  can  speak  openly  in  our  little 
circle.  All  we  who  count  ourselves  as  belonging 
to  the  scattered  community  of  the  *  Free  Ones  ' 
work  together  toward  the  revolution,  for  the 
overthrow  of  all  that  is  rotten,  obsolete  and  un- 
worthy. But  we  shall  not  do  it  by  an  attack  with 
dagger  and  dynamite  on  the  isolated  rulers  of 
the  Kingdom  of  Darkness,  as  do  your  Nihilists; 
we  disarm  them  all  at  one  stroke,  simply  by  re- 
moving our  own  persons  from  their  sphere  of  in- 
fluence." 

"  That  is  just  what  I  am  doing,"  said  the  young 
Baron,  "  by  deserting  my  poor  country  for  a  long 
time.  But  I  do  it  only  because  I  feel  that  I  have 
so  much  to  learn  before  I  can  really  serve  the 
cause  of  my  nation." 


THE    THIRD    SEX  103 

"  Ah,  you  would  serve? "  cried  Arnulf,  in 
irony.  "  We  desire  to  rule,  Baron." 

"  I  don't  know  that  I  quite  understand,"  mur- 
mured Raoul  hesitatingly. 

Arnulf  Rau  smiled  a  satisfied  smile,  as  if  he 
would  say:  "  I  can  believe  that,"  then  he  emptied 
his  glass  in  one  draught,  and  cleared  his  throat 
as  if  preparing  for  a  lengthy  harangue. 

"  The  revolutionaries  of  yesterday  were  lib- 
erators of  the  herd,"  he  began,  "  and  our  social- 
democrats  of  to-day  are  the  fruition  of  those  of 
yesterday.  To  my  taste  there  is  nothing  so  hide- 
ous as  the  Sovereign  Mob,  and  I  count  everyone 
of  the  Mob  who  runs  with  the  herd.  Our  entire 
development  points  more  and  more  to  a  disgust- 
ing equalization.  Religion,  state  and  moral  laws, 
and  most  of  all  the  schools,  all  work  toward  the 
sinking  of  the  individual  in  the  mass.  Differen- 
ces of  class  no  longer  have  importance,  for  the 
classes  make  herds  among  themselves,  distin- 
guished one  from  the  other  only  by  the  particular 
brand  burnt  into  their  skin.  What  else  can  re- 
sult from  a  conflict  of  the  various  herds  among 
themselves,  than  that  the  largest  herd  conquers 
the  smaller  ones?  And  the  largest  herd  is  nat- 
urally merely  the  union  of  the  stupidest  and  the 
coarsest  elements.  It  is  easy  to  picture  what 


io4  THE     THIRD     SEX 

would  then  happen,  when  all  else  is  absorbed  in 
this  greatest  herd.  Culture  becomes  systematized 
to  caricature,  and  instead  of  the  handful  of  rulers 
by  birth  of  to-day,  a  legion  of  the  Uncalled  will 
press  to  the  places  of  power,  and  give  the  world 
the  ridiculous  spectacle  of  a  battle  in  the  sheep 
flock.  The  born  leaders,  however,  the  pathfind- 
ers and  the  guides,  the  Free  and  the  Unusual,  they 
will  be  kept  down,  even  more  than  now,  by  coward 
fear  and  malicious  envy.  True  freedom  will  be 
crushed  out  in  bloody  oppression,  that  the  broad 
stream  of  mediocrity  be  not  held  up  in  its  lazy 
flow.  This  is  the  noble  goal  toward  which  the 
powers  of  to-day  are  laboring  with  their  churches, 
schools,  armies  and  law  codes.  Now  do  you  be- 
lieve, Baron,  that  we  few  truly  free  and  inde- 
pendent spirits  should  join  in  the  foolishness? 
Are  you  willing  to  crush  out  your  capacity  of  in- 
dividuality that  no  drunken  peasant  may  ever  be 
punished  with  the  knout,  or  no  stupid  lump  of 
muscular  humanity  have  to  clean  cesspools  longer 
than  three  hours  a  day?  " 

Raoul  thought  it  over  a  few  moments,  then  he 
answered  with  a  modest  blush,  but  not  without  a 
delicate  irony:  "I  have  not  gone  that  far  in 
Nietzsche  yet." 

Dr.   Reithmeyer  laughed,  and  his  fair  friend 


THE     THIRD     SEX  105 

smiled  cordially  at  the  young  man,  for  the  answer 
pleased  her. 

But  Arnulf  continued  with  a  patronizing  ex- 
pression: "Well  then,  let  me  give  you  a  piece 
of  advice,  my  dear  Baron.  Enjoy  Nietzsche  as  a 
poet;  for  practical  purposes  you  will  find  him  al- 
most useless.  He  is  a  tuning  fork  which  strikes 
the  a,  but  leaves  you  to  find  the  other  tones  by 
yourself." 

"  And  may  I  ask,  doctor,  what  line  of  study 
you  practice?"  asked  Raoul. 

"  What  study?  I  —  that  is  —  but  first  of  all, 
let  me  tell  you  that  I  am  not  a  doctor.  It  would 
have  cost  me  a  certain  measure  of  sacrifice  of  per- 
sonal freedom  to  take  a  state  examination.  And 
to  gain  the  doctor  diploma  I  should  have  been 
obliged  to  take  part  in  studies  which  I  consider 
unnecessary,  or  at  least  inferior.  Therefore, 
why  waste  time  to  win  a  title  which  is  of  value 
only  in  the  eyes  of  the  herd  and  of  the  authori- 
ties? Pardon  me,  dear  friend," — he  turned  to 
Dr.  Reithmeyer, — "  this  is  not  intended  as  a  slur 
on  your  title.  I  feel  assured  that  the  scientific 
labor  through  which  you  have  won  it  gave  you 
true  pleasure,  and  then  you  need  the  state  for  your 
support.  You  will  not  think  me  petty?  " 

Dr.    Reithmeyer   made   a   gesture   of   remon- 


106          THE    THIRD    SEX 

strance,  and  Arnulf  Rau  turned  again  to  the 
Baron.  "  You  ask  what  line  of  study  I  prac- 
tice. Well,  then  —  I  observe  and  I  despise. 
This  may  seem  little  to  you,  but  it  may  yet  be  of 
importance,  when  you  consider  that  through  the 
result  of  my  observing,  in  spoken  and  written 
word,  others  are  excited  also  to  despise  —  to  de- 
spise all  Philistinism,  all  authority  become  absurd, 
all  narrow-heartedness,  all  thoughtless  custom. 
Such  scorn  becomes  a  freedom  of  the  spirit,  and 
the  more  scorners  I  make,  the  more  free  ones  do 
I  make.  And  these  free  ones  can  easily  find  the 
courage  and  the  power  to  withdraw  from  the 
laws  of  the  herd.  The  rulers  of  the  herd  have 
no  power  over  us;  we  ourselves  are  rulers,  in  that 
each  stands  alone  for  himself.  If  we  wished  it, 
each  could  himself  find  a  herd  over  which  he 
could  rule,  for  the  mass  looks  up  ever  in  awe  to 
him  who  can  stand  alone." 

"  Then  you  would  still  have  rulers  and  sub- 
jects? "  asked  the  baron. 

"Naturally.  It  is  the  law  of  nature;  those 
who  devour  and  those  who  are  devoured.  But 
at  present  it  is  the  Unfree  who  rule,  and  the  few 
strong  intellects  there  may  be  among  them  pre- 
tend unfreedom,  because  they  fear  to  give  the 
herd  a  dangerous  example.  In  the  future  the 


THE    THIRD    SEX  107 

Free  will  be  the  Rulers,  and  they  will  scorn  to 
talk  to  the  herd  of  freedom.  They  will  say  to  it 
honestly  and  openly,  *  Ye  are  slaves,  and  must 
obey,'  and  believe  me,  they  will  be  happy  in  obey- 
ing." 

"  Do  you  really  think  so? "  asked  Raoul, 
sadly. 

"  Most  certainly.  I  am  convinced  that  even 
now  the  truly  Free  Man  would  exercise  an  im- 
mense power,  but  he  must  be  born  to  a  throne. 
He  would  be  a  king  who  laughed  at  fear,  who 
had  the  courage  to  be  the  most  dangerous  atheist 
in  his  own  kingdom;  and  to  whom  it  would  be  a 
heavenly  pleasure  to  laugh  in  the  faces  of  his  par- 
liament, his  ministers,  his  bishops  and  his  gen- 
erals." 

Dr.  Reithmeyer  nodded  contentedly:  "  '  The 
laughing  king,'  a  delicious  catchword.  What  do 
you  think  of  it,  Claire?  " 

"  I  ?  "  asked  the  beautiful  woman,  going  to  her 
friend,  and  leaning  gently  on  his  shoulder.  "  I 
should  certainly  fall  in  love  with  him." 

"  So  should  I,"  cried  Katia  in  merry  convic- 
tion. 

But  Martha  queried  with  a  soft  raise  of  her 
eyes:  "Would  you  not  like  to  be  that  king?" 

"  I  do  not  know  whether  it  would  be  worth  the 


108  THE     THIRD     SEX 

trouble,"  replied  Arnulf  Rau,  with  a  slight  shrug. 
And  then,  having  ascertained  that  the  others  were 
not  looking,  he  threw  the  adoring  girl  a  fiery 
glance. 

Little  Raoul  was  evidently  oppressed  by  the 
overwhelming  assurance  of  the  blond  giant,  yet  he 
ventured  a  shy  suggestion :  "  But  then  we  would 
have  absolutism  again." 

"  Of  course,"  said  Arnulf,  laughing,  "  the  ab- 
solutism of  the  mind.  Do  you  know  a  higher 
ideal?" 

The  young  man  was  silent  in  embarrassment. 

"  And  what  will  be  the  position  of  woman  in 
your  ideal  kingdom?  "  asked  Claire  de  Fries  with 
a  sly  smile.  "  Do  you  believe  the  absolute  mind 
can  exist  in  the  absolute  Cock?" 

"  Woman  will  rule  by  beauty  more  than  ever," 
he  replied,  kissing  her  hand  gallantly.  "  But  la- 
dies, let  me  end  this  question  once  for  all;  I  know 
of  but  one  reason  for  the  emancipation  of  woman, 
and  that  is  to  educate  mothers  for  free  sons.  At 
present  woman  is  one  of  the  hindering  powers, 
because  she  is  the  keeper  of  blind  belief  and 
weak  prejudice,  and  because  it  is  still  her  hope  to 
cut  the  wings  of  her  gifted  sons,  for  fear  they 
should  come  to  harm  in  their  flight.  We  need 
free  mothers  for  free  sons.  Therefore,  you 


THE     THIRD     SEX  109 

have  me  on  your  side  when  you  fight  for  the  free- 
ing of  your  intellect.  But  I  am  your  bitter 
opponent  when  you  attempt  the  crushing  out  of 
your  sex." 

"Bravo,  my  dear  fellow!"  cried  Dr.  Reith- 
meyer.  "  Just  my  opinion.  There  is  nothing  I 
dislike  so  much  as  this  dreadful  Third  Sex." 

"  The  Third  Sex,"  smiled  the  handsome 
Arnulf.  "  You  caught  that  expression  from  me." 

"  No,  pardon  me,  I  read  it  somewhere  else." 

Arnulf  shrugged  his  shoulders.  "  Ah,  yes, 
they  always  seem  to  anticipate  one  somehow. 
Well,  I  can  endure  it.  The  Third  Sex  interests 
me  as  little  as  it  interests  any  true  man.  Thank 
Fortune,  none  of  our  charming  friends  here  pres- 
ent belong  to  it."  He  bowed  to  Claire  and 
Martha  and  nodded  lightly  to  his  wife.  Then 
he  approached  Katia  and  asked  her  to  lend  him 
her  scarf,  as  he  desired  to  breathe  a  little  fresh 
air,  and  feared  a  cold,  having  talked  himself 
warm.  The  handsome  Arnulf  knew  quite  well 
that  he  would  be  discussed  as  soon  as  his  back 
was  turned,  and  this  was  the  tactful  cause  of  his 
departure.  For  he  wished  to  give  these  shaken 
spirits  and  excited  minds  the  opportunity  for  a 
free  appreciation  of  his  personality. 

And  that  was  exactly  what  did  happen.     Raoul 


no  THE     THIRD     SEX 

de  Kerkhove  had  read  much,  and  as  a  Russian 
student  he  had  heard  many  flaming  harangues  by 
fiery  young  spirits  in  secret  convention.  But  this 
calm  and  well-rounded  argumentation  of  a  ma- 
ture man  was  something  quite  new,  and  the  ideas 
struck  him  as  daring  and  original.  He  ques- 
tioned Dr.  Reithmeyer  about  the  imposing  gen- 
tleman. Dr.  Reithmeyer  made  some  excuse  to 
take  the  young  man  into  another  room,  as  he  did 
not  like  to  discuss  Katia's  husband  in  her  pres- 
ence. 

The  three  ladies  remained  alone,  and  while 
Claire  and  Katia  continued  the  discussion  on  the 
Woman  Question,  Martha  sat  dreaming  with 
wide  eyes  and  quiet  smile,  without  giving  much 
heed  to  the  conversation.  What  a  great  man  he 
was,  and  how  he  dwarfed  all  the  others!  That 
was  all  she  could  think  of. 

Arnulf  Rau  appeared  in  the  open  balcony 
door,  and  called:  "  Miss  Haider,  won't  you 
come  here  a  moment?  I  want  you  to  help  me 
enjoy  the  quaint  charm  of  this  courtyard  milieu." 

Martha  rose  obedient  as  a  child,  and  joined 
her  adored  one  on  the  roof.  Claire  noticed  the 
bitter  smile  on  Mrs.  Katia's  lips  as  her  eyes  fol- 
lowed the  pretty  girl.  She  drew  the  faded  little 
woman  down  beside  her  on  the  divan,  laid  her 


THE     THIRD     SEX  in 

arm  in  sisterly  pressure  about  her,  and  said: 
"  Why  do  you  endure  it  so  calmly,  Katia  dear?  " 

"Calmly?" 

"If  it  angers  you,  why  do  you  not  revolt 
against  it?  and  it  must  anger  you.  Even  if  I 
were  not  jealous,  I  should  rebel  against  the  vul- 
garity of  a  man  relating  his  amorous  adventures 
in  the  presence  of  his  wife." 

"  I  know  them  all,  he  conceals  nothing  from 
me.  In  this  respect  he  is  candor  itself,"  replied 
the  little  wife,  with  poorly  assumed  calmness. 

"And  you  endure  it?" 

"  I  have  learned  to  listen  with  purely  psycho- 
logical interest." 

"  Honestly?  " 

"  Well,  Claire  dear,  one  does  one's  best.  He 
feels  himself  so  great  and  so  objective  in  this  re- 
gard and  he  takes  it  ajs  a  matter  of  course  that 
in  the  seven  years  of  our  marriage  I  should  have 
risen  to  his  point  of  view.  If  I  did  not  keep  this 
belief  alive  in  him,  there  might  really  be  danger 
of  losing  him." 

"And  you  think  there  is  no  danger  now?" 

Katia  smiled,  this  time  in  true  assurance. 
"  No,  the  danger  does  not  exist  at  present.  He 
always  returns  to  me  from  his  little  excursions 
into  forbidden  territory.  He  is,  fortunately, 


ii2  THE     THIRD     SEX 

much  too  lazy  to  follow  up  any  affair  to  a  point 
where  it  might  become  unpleasantly  exciting. 
You  can't  imagine  how  glad  I  am  of  this  laziness. 
And  then  besides,  each  time  he  brings  his  dam- 
aged heart  and  lays  it  at  my  feet,  he  is  so  sweet 
and  so  really  concerned  to  win  my  favor,  that  I 
can  only  laugh  at  him  a  little  as  punishment,  and 
that  soon  heals  his  pangs  of  conscience." 

"  And  how  long  does  such  a  return  of  marital 
feeling  last?"  asked  Claire  in  curiosity. 

"  Oh,  until  the  next  time,"  laughed  Katia, 
recklessly. 

A  little  pause  followed,  and  from  the  roof 
they  heard  Arnulf's  fine  voice  softened  to  a  whis- 
per. 

Claire  nodded  in  that  direction  and  qlueried 
softly:  "And  this  affair?  does  it  not  alarm 
you?" 

Katia  shrugged  her  shoulders  lightly. 

Claire  continued  eagerly:  "  But  he  has  com- 
pletely turned  the  girl's  head,  and  she  is  of  an 
age  to  cling  to  any  hope.  She  will  not  be  shaken 
off  so  easily.  You  can  see  yourself  that  she  is 
over  ears  in  love  with  him." 

"Ah,  don't  let's  talk  about  it,"  begged  Katia 
as  if  in  pain.  "  He'll  come  back.  He  knows 
well  enough  that  he  will  never  find  another 


THE     THIRD     SEX  113 

woman  who  understands  him  so  well,  and  with 
whom  it  is  so  easy  to  live,  as  with  me." 
"  You  must  love  him  very  deeply." 
"  Why  not  ?     I  have  no  children,  no  one  else 
near  to  my  heart.     I  am  faded,  and  never  did 
expect  to  play  any  great  part  in  the  world.     I 
have  nothing  but  my  open  eyes  and  my  good  com- 
mon sense " 

"  But  you  must  see  how  she " 

"  Please  don't !  I  know  he  has  his  little  van- 
ities, and  poses,  and  that  he  does  not  do  what  he 
might  do.  I  know  all  that,  but  I  know  better 
than  any  of  you  what  he  really  is.  He  has  a 
wonderfully  broad  mind,  he  brings  so  many 
things  into  the  realm  of  his  contemplation  and 
his  sympathy,  that  the  concentration  on  one  field, 
and  the  mild  triumphs  of  mediocre  work  would 
never  satisfy  him.  He  feels  and  desires  the 
highest  only,  why  should  he  not  be  proud  of  that? 
He  does  not  need  the  applause  of  the  mass,  and 
he  gives  so  much  to  me!  I  have  such  a  rich 
beautiful  mental  life  through  his  help  —  no,  in- 
deed, I  may  well  be  content." 

The  beautiful  Claire  sat  for  a  moment  in 
thought,  then  she  suddenly  grasped  Katia's  hand 
and  pressed  a  hasty  kiss  on  it.  "  You  are  truly 
a  clever  woman,"  she  said,  "  and  an  artist  in  liv- 


n4  THE     THIRD     SEX 

ing.  But  I  do  not  believe  that  any  woman  with- 
out your  talent  and  your  cleverness  should 
marry." 

"  If  you  love  him,  then  you  need  not  fear  to 
marry  him,"  whispered  Katia  in  the  ear  of  her 
beautiful  friend.  "  You  can  see  how  he  suffers 
from  your  refusal,  and  he  is  so  goodl  If  you 
really  love  him  you  cannot  endure  to  see  him  suf- 
fer." 

While  the  two  women  thus  exchanged  their 
whispered  confidences,  Arnulf  Rau  stood  outside 
on  the  roof,  his  wife's  scarf  about  his  throat  and 
Martha's  fever-hot  hand  in  both  his  own.  From 
a  restaurant  in  the  neighborhood  could  be  heard 
the  songs  of  a  male  quartette.  They  were  fresh 
voices,  and  sounded  softened  and  well  harmon- 
ized in  the  distance  and  the  evening  quiet.  The 
reflection  of  the  electric  street  lamps  brightened 
the  dark  sky  above  the  peaceful  city,  and  the  stars 
gleamed  pale  as  travel-worn  coins,  or  like  hack- 
neyed lyrics,  the  easy  melody  of  which  can  still 
work  its  effect  if  it  fall  on  the  right  mood  in  the 
human  heart.  And  Martha  Haider's  heart  was 
as  soft  as  porous  clay  after  long  rain;  every  seed 
must  come  to  ripeness  there,  be  it  nettle  or  fiery 
gladiolus.  She  dared  not  draw  her  hand  away, 
and  her  ears  drank  his  whispering  greedily. 


THE     THIRD     SEX  115 

"  Does  this  marvelous  harmony  of  sensation 
give  you  also  such  voluptuous  pleasure?"  he 
breathed.  "  What  silly  talk  we  hear  of  things 
poetic  and  unpoetic!  You  feel  as  I  do,  Miss 
Martha,  I  know  it.  Loving  comprehension  can 
dissolve  even  apparent  discord  in  pure  harmony. 
Can  you  now,  in  this  moment,  feel  any  difference 
between  the  poetry  of  a  mountain  lake  in  the 
sunset  glow,  with  tinkling  cow  bells  and  the  smell 
of  the  meadows,  .  .  .  and  this  back-yard  view 
with  narrow  courts,  tiny  gardens,  roofs,  tele- 
phone wires  and  pale  stars?  The  singers  down 
there  may  be  very  ordinary  fellows,  but  do  they 
not  send  their  song  as  direct  to  our  hearts  as 
does  the  love-sick  nightingale?  See  that  window 
over  there,  with  the  cobbler  bent  over  his  work- 
table  under  his"  light-ball,  does  he  spoil  the  effect 
for  you?  I  should  miss  the  cobbler  were  he  not 
just  where  he  is.  And  see,  down  in  the  garden 
there,  the  cook  and  her  lover, —  can  you  see  her 
white  apron  gleam  in  the  shadow?  She  has  both 
arms  about  his  neck  and  believes  all  he  is  saying 
to  her.  No,  do  not  turn  away,  love  is  beautiful 
in  whatever  shape,  except " 

He  broke  off,  for  he  felt  it  were  better  not  to 
become  too  explicit.  Then  they  were  silent  for 
some  while.  The  tenor  of  the  quartette  rang  out 


n6  THE     THIRD     SEX 

with  a  high  b;  a  dog  in  the  courtyard  seemed  to 
take  it  as  a  personal  offense  and  howled  aloud. 
And  then  it  grew  suddenly  still,  very  still.  The 
softened  city  noises  murmured  like  distant  surf 
on  the  shores  of  the  great  quiet.  And  down  in 
the  black  garden  shadows  the  Chevauxleger 
kissed  the  cook  —  or  he  might  have  been  a  heavy 
cavalryman,  his  saber  rattled  as  he  drew  the  girl 
to  his  breast. 

Then  Arnulf  Rau  suddenly  threw  his  arms 
around  Martha,  pressed  her  wildly  to  him,  and 
whispered  hotly  in  her  ear:  "  Kiss  me,  girl, 
kiss  me  I  " 

She  pressed  both  little  fists  against  his  breast 
and  pushed  him  back  violently.  Her  eyes 
flamed,  her  lips  trembled,  but  the  words  would 
not  come.  She  ran  hastily  to  the  door,  paused 
there,  laid  one  hand  on  her  heart  and  fought  for 
breath.  Then  she  stroked  smoothingly  over  her 
hair,  and  entered  the  room. 

"  We  have  been  laughing  so,"  she  said. 
"  There's  a  dog  out  there,  that  howls  whenever 
the  tenor  strikes  a  high  note." 

Dr.  Reithmeyer  and  Raoul  de  Kerkhove  had 
just  joined  the  two  ladies  again,  and  a  few  sec- 
onds later  Arnulf  Rau  came  in.  He  coughed 
and  held  his  wife's  scarf  close  around  his  throat. 


THE     THIRD     SEX  117 

Martha  took  a  hasty  leave,  saying  that  she  must 
hurry  home,  or  Box  would  be  alarmed  at  her 
long  stay.  The  young  Baron  thanked  his  hosts  for 
their  kind  reception,  then  the  two  hurried  away. 

The  other  couples  sat  together  about  two  hours 
longer,  but  it  could  hardly  be  said  that  they  pro- 
duced any  abnormal  amount  of  intellectuality. 

It  was  slightly  past  midnight  when  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Arnulf  Rau  made  their  way  homeward. 
He  took  such  long  steps  that  the  little  woman  on 
his  arm  had  to  trot  almost  to  keep  up  with  him, 
and  when  they  had  nearly  reached  their  own 
house,  she  asked  breathlessly:  "Well,  you  bad 
man,  have  you  quite  turned  the  dark  Madonna's 
head?  What  were  you  whispering  about  out 
there?" 

"  Oh,  don't  mention  that  woman  again," 
growled  Arnulf.  "  She  is  a  silly  little  goosq,  a 
counting-machine  without  a  trace  of  poetry!  Let 
her  stay  behind  her  desk,  and  not  imagine  she  is 
fit  for  the  society  of  higher  organized  intellects." 

And  at  the  bottom  of  the  last  flight  Mrs.  Katia 
giggled  gently  up  at  her  giant :  "  Well,  who's 
the  best,  after  all?" 

And  he  answered  as  merrily :  "  Suffering 
from  swelled  head  again,  you  heap  of  vanity? 
There,  there,  you  are  my  only  one!  Now  you 


US  THE    THIRD    SEX 

know  it !  "  He  pressed  three  hearty  kisses  on 
the  longing  lips,  raised  the  slight  form  in  his  arms 
and  carried  her  up  the  stairs. 

Claire  de  Fries  was  tired  when  the  last  guests 
had  gone  and  went  to  bed  at  once.  Dr.  Reith- 
meyer  wished  to  read  a  little,  and  remained  in 
the  living  room.  Claire  left  the  bedroom  door 
open  to  enjoy  the  fresh  air  from  the  balcony  win- 
dows. About  half  an  hour  later,  he  heard  his 
name  called.  He  went  in  and  sat  down  on  the 
edge  of  her  bed.  She  took  his  hand  and  stroked 
it,  and  then  said  slowly  and  deliberately:  "  I 
have  thought  the  matter  over,  dear,  and  will  do 
as  you  wish." 

"You  will?  Oh,  Claire,  my  darling,  mine  at 
last  before  all  the  world  I  "  he  rejoiced. 

"  Yes,"  she  said,  "  it  is  really  only  because  your 
handsome  Arnulf  made  me  so  angry  with  his  vul- 
garities about  marriage.  Just  to  spite  him,  I'd 
like  to  show  him  that  we  can  live  a  true  mar- 
riage, even  in  the  conventional  form."  And  he 
drew  her  hastily  to  him,  covering  her  face  with 
kisses,  and  stammering  blissfully:  "Ah,  my 
darling,  my  own  one!  Don't  be  so  awfully 
clever!  just  love  me,  dearest,  understand!  just 
love  me!" 


CHAPTER  V 

THE  hot  sun  of  a  shining  September  day 
brooded  over  the  art  city  Munich,  and  the 
Old  Pinakothek  was  full  of  strangers,  who, 
Baedeker  in  hand,  were  endeavoring  to  live  up 
to  their  education.  But  the  sultriness  in  the  wide 
halls  was  too  oppressive  even  for  eager  tourists 
who  usually  rush  through  museums  on  the  double- 
quick.  They  wandered  about  with  deliberation, 
like  people  who  have  plenty  of  time  and  perhaps 
even  a  little  interest  for  the  glories  of  the  past. 
It  was  more  comfortable  here  than  outside  in  the 
heat  of  the  sun,  and  it  was  possible  to  take  a 
little  rest  occasionally,  on  a  soft  bench  in  front 
of  a  picture  marked  with  one  or  two  stars  in  the 
useful  red  books.  The  stream  of  sightseers 
moved  lazily  along,  pretty  evenly  divided 
through  the  main  halls,  and  the  odor  of  warm 
humanity  filled  the  sacred  chambers.  The  indus- 
trious copyists,  about  whom  little  circles  of  crit- 
ical spectators  were  wont  to  gather,  were  con- 
spicuous by  their  absence  at  this  time  of  the  year. 
119 


120          THE    THIRD    SEX 

They  were  enjoying  the  charm  of  woods  and  fields 
under  the  pretext  of  studying  from  nature. 

In  one  of  the  darker  and  therefore  cooler  side 
rooms,  where  old  German  art  was  housed,  a  soli- 
tary painter-lady  was  still  at  work.  She  was  a 
dainty,  pretty  little  person  in  a  simple,  greenish 
homespun  skirt,  and  a  white  waist  with  green 
piping.  She  stood  before  her  easel  with  the 
palette  over  her  thumb,  scratching  thoughtfully 
through  her  rich  ashen-blond  hair  with  the  handle 
of  her  brush,  then  she  glanced  imploringly  at  the 
honest  Old  Master's  peacefully  silly  Madonna 
with  the  Child,  which  she  was  trying  to  copy.  A 
sincere  critic  could  hardly  have  dared  to  assert, 
with  a  clear  conscience,  that  this  painter-lady's 
work  showed  any  remarkable  talent.  The  shin- 
ing gold  background  was  well  caught,  as  were  the 
lilies  in  the  hands  of  the  Queen  of  Heaven,  and 
the  ornamentation  on  her  robe;  but  the  flesh  tints 
were  very  uncertain,  and  some  sad  faults  in  the 
drawing  of  eyes,  mouth  and  nose  struck  the  ob- 
server at  the  first  glance.  The  dainty  little  lady 
seemed  to  realize  that  all  was  not  well.  She 
came  close  up  to  her  canvas,  then  stepped  back 
again,  gazing  .at  it  with  her  head  tilted,  sighed, 
laid  her  white  brow  in  furrows,  and  endeavored 
to  give  the  queerly  swelled  nose  a  more  Madonna- 


THE    THIRD    SEX  121 

like  shape  by  several  timid  brushstrokes.  It  was 
no  good.  She  laid  aside  her  palette,  sat  down 
with  a  sigh  on  the  cane-seated  bench,  folded  her 
hands  on  her  knees,  and  blinked  wearily  at  the 
white  curtained  windows.  She  gave  a  long  and 
heartfelt  yawn,  then  she  noticed  that  her  shoe 
lacing  was  undone  and  tied  it  afresh.  The 
brown  leather  shoe  and  openwork  silk  stocking 
encased  the  daintiest  little  foot  in  the  world,  and 
this  foot  was  as  undoubtedly  a  perfect  work  of 
art  as  the  Madonna's  nose  was  an  imperfect  one. 
The  pretty  artist  next  took  a  little  leather-covered 
mirror  from  her  pocket,  looked  at  herself  care- 
fully, and  busied  herself  with  the  turn  of  the  curls 
on  her  forehead  and  the  set  of  her  silk  tie. 
Then,  as  she  heard  a  firm  masculine  tread  ap- 
proaching, she  let  the  mirror  fall  into  her  pocket 
again,  and  took  up  her  palette  knife.  Although 
she  did  not  turn,  she  was  well  aware  that  the 
man  who  had  just  crossed  the  threshold  behind 
her  was  by  no  means  so  fascinated  by  the  simple 
charm  of  the  Old  German  Masters  that  it  should 
hold  him  motionless  for  several  minutes.  She 
knew  very  well  that  his  eyes  were  resting  on  the 
fine  lines  of  her  own  figure.  She  scratched  about 
on  the  swollen  nostrils  of  her  poor  Madonna, 
with  a  graceful  crook  of  her  little  finger  with  its 


122  THE     THIRD     SEX 

diamond  ring,  and  bent  her  head  now  to  the 
right,  now  to  the  left,  all  of  which,  as  she  knew, 
was  very  pretty  to  look  at.  Then  the  man  be- 
hind her  back  took  a  few  more  steps  and  she  ven- 
tured to  peek  in  his  direction.  It  was  only  a  very 
young  and  quite  harmless-looking  ordinary  youth 
with  no  beard  and  many  pimples.  And  the 
painter-lady  scratched  away  eagerly,  without  both- 
ering to  take  any  more  pretty  attitudes. 

The  youth  came  forward,  and  turned  his  back 
on  her,  but  it  was  astonishing  how  quickly  he 
finished  with  the  other  wall.  Then  he  ap- 
proached her  easel  again,  stopped  three  steps 
away,  and  gave  a  gentle  cough.  But  as  the  artist 
paid  no  attention,  he  walked  on  to  the  opposite 
door.  On  the  threshold  he  turned  again,  as  if  to 
take  in  the  general  effect  of  the  room,  and  as  his 
eye  fell  on  the  pretty  painter-lady,  he  pretended 
to  have  just  discovered  her,  and  bowed  with  an 
embarrassed  smile. 

The  young  lady  looked  up  in  surprise.  Was 
this  young  man  trying  to  make  her  acquaintance 
in  such  a  clumsy  manner,  or  had  she  really  met 
him  somewhere? 

"  Have  I  not  the  pleasure?  —  Mrs.  von  Robi- 
ceck,  is  it  not  ?  "  said  the  young  man,  coming  up 
with  his  hat  in  his  hand. 


THE    THIRD    SEX  123 

"Yes,  but  —  pardon  me,  sir,  I  can't  —  remem- 
ber  " 

"  My  name  is  Baron  Kerkhove.  I  had  the 
honor  of  being  introduced  to  you  by  Miss 
Haider." 

"  Haider."  She  could  not  remember  that 
either.  The  young  Baron  smiled  his  embar- 
rassed smile. 

"  The  lady  called  herself  Schneider  that  day. 
You  were  in  Grunwald  with  your  uncle,  and  we 
were  there,  too." 

"  Oh,  yes,  now  I  remember,"  cried  the  pretty 
little  Mrs.  von  Robiceck  with  a  slight  blush,  "  of 
course,  in  Grunwald,  it  was  such  a  beautiful 
day." 

"  Yes,  indeed,  a  beautiful  day." 

And  then  after  another  embarrassed  pause,  the 
young  Baron  began :  "  I  saw  such  pretty  things 
of  your  uncle's  in  the  Exhibition  —  you  are  his 
pupil?" 

Mrs.  von  Robiceck  smiled  a  peculiar  smile. 
"  No,  I  attend  a  ladies'  art  school.  But  it's  vaca- 
tion now,  and  I  am  trying  to  continue  my  studies 
alone.  I  think  I  am  the  only  one  of  the  pupils 
still  in  town." 

"Oh,  then  you  live  with  your  uncle?"  ques- 
tioned Raoul  de  Kerkhove,  somewhat  foolishly. 


i24  THE     THIRD     SEX 

Mrs.  von  Robiceck  looked  up  as  if  startled, 
and  answered  hastily: 

"  Oh,  no,  I  live  by  myself." 

The  young  man's  face  began  to  beam  cau- 
tiously, and  he  asked,  almost  in  a  whisper. 
"  You  are  a  widow?  " 

"  No,  again,"  replied  the  charming  lady  im- 
patiently, "  I  am  seeking  a  divorce  from  my  hus- 
band, if  you  must  know.  But  why  do  you  ques- 
tion me  so,  Baron?  Do  you  think  it  quite 
proper?"  She  smiled  slyly. 

"  I  beg  a  thousand  pardons,"  stammered 
Raoul,  blushing.  "  I  am  so  glad  to  find  you 
again  after  so  many  weeks.  I  could  not  forget 

that  meeting,  I  —  that  is  —  eh "  He 

stepped  to  her  easel  and  gazed  at  her  unfortu- 
nate Madonna,  with  the  flaming  blushes  of  his 
embarrassment  on  his  cheeks. 

Pretty  little  Mrs.  von  Robiceck  laughed  gently 
and  happily  to  herself,  and  thoroughly  enjoyed 
his  discomfort.  It  was  some  time  before  she 
broke  the  silence  with  the  question :  "  Do  you 
understand  anything  about  it?" 

"About  painting?  Alas,  no,  I  am  quite  with- 
out talent.  But  I  understand  enough  to  see  that 
your  copy  promises  to  be  a  masterpiece.'* 

"  Oh,  don't  exert  yourself,  Baron !     I  see  you 


THE     THIRD     SEX  125 

really  don't  know  the  first  thing  about  it," 
laughed  the  young  lady.  "  Here  I  have  been 
killing  myself  over  this  picture  for  four  weeks 
now,  and  I  simply  can't  get  it  right.  I  don't  see 
how  those  old  gentlemen  managed  to  paint  so 
smooth  and  thin.  I  can't  seem  to  do  anything 
but  daub.  And  the  nose  is  rank  blasphemy.  I 
have  scratched  it  out  for  the  tenth  time  at  least. 
It  is  dreadful!" 

"  But  you  do  this  for  your  pleasure  merely,  do 
you  not?  " 

"  Do  you  think  it  can  be  a  pleasure  when  I 
have  to  work  so  hard  at  it?  Or  do  you  imagine 
it's  a  pleasure  to  stay  in  the  hot  city  all  summer, 
while  the  other  painter  girls  are  wandering 
around  in  the  mountains?  " 

"  Then  why  do  you  do  it,  Madame?  " 

"  Because  I  have  no  money  to  go  away,  that's 
the  simple  reason.  No,  I  do  not  paint  for  my 
pleasure.  I  expect  to  earn  my  living  at  it  when 
I  have  gone  through  my  little  fortune,  which  is 
likely  to  be  the  case  in  a  very  short  time.  Copies 
of  religious  pictures  seem  to  me  to  be  the  best 
pay." 

"  Will  you  give  me  this  picture  when  it  is 
done?"  asked  the  young  Baron  quickly,  and  his 
gray  eyes  sparkled. 


126  THE     THIRD     SEX 

"  What  do  you  want  with  it?  " 

"  I  want  to  buy  it.  Name  a  good  price.  I 
will  pay  it,  for  in  the  next  few  days  I  expect  to 
win  a  lawsuit  which  will  bring  me  a  million 
rubles." 

"A  million  rubles?"  Pretty  Mrs.  von  Robi- 
ceck's  great  eyes  shone  admiringly  on  the  young 
man.  "  Oh,  Baron,  I  shall  be  so  glad  to  sell  you 
the  picture.  I  have  worked  some  time  on  it,  and 
all  that  is  real  gold  —  it  must  have  cost  me  at 
least  three  hundred  rubles."  And  she  laughed 
in  charming  coquetry. 

"  Then  let  us  say  five  hundred  rubles.  You 
must  earn  something  on  it  yourself,  you  know. 
Give  me  your  hand  on  the  bargain." 

She  held  out  her  slim  white  hand,  which  he 
pressed  tight  in  his  own.  Then  he  added  softly: 
"  Now  I  must  ask  for  your  address,  that  I  can 
inquire  about  the  progress  of  the  picture." 

She  withdrew  her  hand  hastily  and  answered 
coldly:  "You  can  meet  me  here;  I  clo  not  re- 
ceive gentlemen  in  my  apartment." 

Raoul  de  Kerkhove  blushed  again,  and  stam- 
mered something  about  a  misunderstanding. 

One  or  two  strangers  wandered  slowly  through 
the  room,  let  their  eyes  rest  wearily  on  the  stiff 
saints,  martyrs,  and  Madonnas,  honored  the 


THE     THIRD     SEX  127 

pretty  artist  and  her  work  with  a  long  imperti- 
nent examination,  then  disappeared  through  the 
other  door.  After  this  interruption  the  young 
Baron  thought  he  had  better  take  his  own  depar- 
ture. But  he  wanted  to  find  the  proper  word  of 
farewell  first,  otherwise  he  would  have  felt  as 
if  he  had  been  thrown  out,  and  he  would  not  have 
lost  the  thread  of  this  happy  acquaintance  at  any 
price. 

But  while  he  was  still  seeking  the  connection,  a 
new  visitor  came  through  the  door,  and  walked 
up  to  Mrs.  von  Robiceck.  This  was  a  very  tall 
slender  man  in  a  stylishly  cut  summer  suit,  with 
a  head  of  a  well-fed  baby  on  his  big  body. 

"  Oh,  Prince,  so  you  have  come  to  see  me 
again?"  exclaimed  Mrs.  von  Robiceck  cordially, 
and  held  out  her  hand  to  the  gentleman. 

The  young  cavalier  kissed  her  hand,  and  held 
it  a  moment  to  his  nose.  "  Good  morning,  my 
dear  Mrs.  von  Robiceck!  What  a  charming 
odor  of  industry  your  little  hand  bears!  —  no, 
no,  I  am  not  joking,  I  love  turpentine,  it  is 
such  a  healthy  smell!"  The  tall  gentleman 
spoke  in  the  high  nasal  tone  which  seems  to  be 
considered  the  proper  thing  in  the  diplomatic 
world. 

Mrs.  von  Robiceck  then  introduced  the  gentle- 


128  THE    THIRD     SEX 

men.  "  His  Highness,  Prince  Cloppenburg- 
Usingen,  Baron  —  Baron " 

"  Raoul  de  Kerkhove,  doctor  of  philosophy," 
supplemented  the  young  man  with  a  correct  bow. 

The  Prince  bowed  also,  and  let  an  inquiring 
glance  meet  Mrs.  von  Robiceck's  eye. 

Her  left  nostril  trembled  a  trifle,  and  she  half 
shut  her  eye  as  she  said:  "This  is  a  Russian 
Croesus,  who  has  just  bought  my  masterpiece  here 
for  five  hundred  rubles." 

"  Donnerwetter !  "  cried  the  Prince  merrily, 
but  stopped  himself  at  once  with  a  "  I  beg  your 
pardon!  There  you  see,  my  dear  Lilly,  there 
are  still  some  true  lovers  of  art  left  alive.  You 
ought  to  celebrate  the  occasion  by  giving  your 
friends  a  nice,  wholesome  little  punch,  eh  ?  " 

"  I  haven't  the  money  yet,  your  Highness," 
said  Mrs.  von  Robiceck,  with  comic  pathos. 

"  Payment  follows,"  laughed  Raoul,  "  as  soon 
as  the  Madonna  is  in  possession  of  her  proper 
nose,  and  I  have  won  my  lawsuit.  My  father 
died  in  Siberia,  his  estates  were  confiscated  — 
your  Highness  will  understand  —  but  in  about  a 
week  the  suit  will  be  settled." 

"  Well,  then,  we'll  have  the  punch  at  my 
rooms  in  the  meantime,"  nasaled  the  Prince. 
"  I  was  at  your  place  just  now,  to  invite  you  for 


THE    THIRD     SEX  129 

this  evening.  I  have  asked  a  few  nice  people,  all 
good  friends,— just  a  small  party.  Bring  any- 
one you  like,  Parole;  beauty  or  wit.  Don't  for- 
get the  '  or  ' —  both  at  once  were  too  much." 

Mrs.  von  Robiceck  did  not  answer  at  once. 
The  young  Baron  perceived  that  his  presence 
embarrassed  her,  and  he  had  sufficient  breeding 
to  retire  after  a  few  polite  phrases,  and  leave  the 
field  to  the  Prince,  who,  he  saw,  had  prior 
rights.  But  he  hung  about  in  the  next  room, 
which  was  near  the  entrance,  in  the  hope  of  an- 
other glimpse  of  the  charming  little  lady,  when 
she  should  have  finished  her  day's  work.  His 
vigil  was  not  long,  for  in  about  ten  minutes 
pretty  little  Mrs.  von  Robiceck  left  the 
Pinakothek  in  company  with  Prince  Cloppenburg- 
Usingen.  Raoul  de  Kerkhove  followed  the 
couple  at  a  discreet  distance,  and  saw  the  Prince 
bid  farewell  to  the  little  artist  at  the  corner  of 
the  Barer  and  Theresienstrasse,  where  the  lady 
mounted  a  car  of  the  Ring  line.  Raoul  took  the 
nearest  cab  and  ordered  the  driver  to  follow  the 
street  car.  At  the  station  the  young  lady 
changed  to  a  car  of  the  electric  line,  and  the  cab 
horse  had  troubles  of  his  own  in  the  attempt  not 
to  lose  sight  of  the  game.  Fortunately  the  young 
Baron  had  good  eyes,  and  so,  in  spite  of  a  dis- 


i3o          THE    THIRD     SEX 

tance  of  a  good  hundred  paces,  he  could  see  that 
Mrs.  von  Robiceck  got  out  at  the  Lindwurm- 
strasse  and  turned  in  to  the  Beethovenstrasse. 
He  stopped  his  wagon  as  soon  as  he  saw  the  lady 
disappear  in  the  doorway  of  No.  10,  and  entered 
the  house  himself  after  a  few  moments.  He  did 
not  have  to  mount  any  stairs,  for  on  the  ground 
floor  door  he  found  the  visiting  card,  "  Lilly  von 
Robiceck,"  beside  the  porcelain  name-plate  of  the 
widow  of  a  postoffice  official.  He  wrote  the  ad- 
dress in  his  note-book,  and  turned  away  satisfied. 
In  the  courtyard  he  met  an  old  lady  of  confidence- 
awakening  appearance,  and  inquired  of  her 
whether  there  were  any  furnished  rooms  to  be 
had  in  the  house.  She  gave  him  several  names, 
but  said  that  as  far  as  she  knew,  all  rooms  were 
taken  except  one  in  the  apartment  of  the  widow 
Huber  on  the  ground  floor.  He  thanked  her 
and  left  the  house.  The  street  windows  of  the 
ground  floor  apartment  were  wide  open,  but  the 
curtains  were  drawn  on  the  inside.  Without 
meaning  any  harm,  Raoul  stood  a  moment  under 
the  corner  window  and  listened.  It  would  have 
made  him  happy  to  have  heard  any  sound  that 
recalled  the  presence  of  the  charming  one,  such 
as  the  fall  of  her  little  shoes  on  the  floor,  or  the 


THE     THIRD     SEX  131 

pouring  of  water  in  the  basin  —  or  anything  like 
that. 

And  he  did  hear  something!  A  man's  voice, 
deep  and  pleasant,  whispered  inarticulate  hot  ten- 
dernesses; and  her  sweet  voice,  recognizable  in 
its  characteristic  change  from  gentle  com- 
plaint to  droll  high  twittering,  gave  answer. 
"  Oho !  " —  thought  the  Baron,  and  bit  his  lips. 
"  She  does  not  receive  gentlemen  in  her  apart- 
ment !  Oh, —  you "  He  thrust  out  the 

words  almost  audibly,  then  a  truck  rumbled  past 
and  he  could  hear  no  more.  He  called  up  his 
cab  and  drove  away. 

The  man  whose  voice  the  listener  had  heard 
was  none  other  than  Franz  Xaver  Pirngruber, 
Mrs.  von  Robiceck's  amiable  bicycle-uncle.  And 
if  Raoul  de  Kerkhove  had  been  able  to  look  in 
at  a  crack  of  the  curtain,  he  would  certainly  have 
turned  green  with  envy.  For  Mr.  Franz  Xaver 
Pirngruber,  the  much-admired  master  of  the 
humoristic  brush,  sat  on  the  sofa,  held  Lilly  von 
Robiceck  tight  on  his  lap,  and  showered  kisses  on 
her  sweet  face,  while  he  whispered  in  breathless 
delight : 

"  Oh,  my  sweetest,  my  precious !  you  don't 
know  how  I  love  you  —  you  are  much  too  stupid 


132  THE     THIRD     SEX 

to  understand  it.  Oh,  you  —  you,  you  let  me 
wait  for  three  whole  days,  and  didn't  spend  even 
one  and  a  half  pfennigs  for  a  stamp  to  send  me  a 
greeting.  Aren't  you  ashamed  of  yourself,  lazy 
little  beast?  Didn't  you  promise  to  write  me 
when  I  was  to  come?  " 

"  But  I  didn't  want  you  to  come  at  all,  sir," 
laughed  the  little  lady,  trying  in  vain  to  free  her- 
self. "  You  know  our  agreement,  but  you  don't 
keep  it.  You  are  much  too  violent." 

"  I  am  sorry,  my  angel,  but  I  can't  help  it. 
That's  my  idea  of  love."  And  again  he  pressed 
the  little  figure  to  him,  and  held  his  mouth  to  her 
soft  lips. 

"  Let  me  go,"  groaned  Mrs.  von  Robiceck, 
"  I  don't  want  to."  Her  arms  were  strong,  and 
she  pushed  them  against  his  breast  with  such  vio- 
lence that  he  had  to  relinquish  his  hold.  Then 
she  came  out  from  behind  the  table,  smoothed  the 
folds  of  her  dress  and  her  disordered  hair. 
"  You  horrid  man,"  she  pouted.  "  Huh,  the 
idea  of  making  one  so  hot!  in  this  weather! 
Why  did  you  come,  Mr.  Pirngruber,  when  I  did 
not  invite  you  ?  " 

"Why,  what's  this?"  he  asked  saddened. 
"  Lilly  mousie,  what's  spoiled  your  temper,  and 
made  you  so  cross  ?  " 


THE    THIRD    SEX  133 

"  Oh,  nothing !  it's  only  —  oh,  it's  horrid  any- 
how! I  wish  I  were  so  ugly  that  all  the  people 
I  met  had  to  turn  away  in  disgust." 

"Why,  Lilly!  Come,  tell  me  the  trouble." 
He  rose  from  the  sofa,  stepped  to  her  side  and 
laid  his  arm  gently  around  her  shoulder.  She 
stood  pulling  nervously  at  her  delicate  handker- 
chief, and  pouted,  without  looking  up  at  him: 
"  I  was  planning  to  get  dressed,  take  a  nice  slow 
dinner,  and  then  to  walk  about  a  little  with  my 
new  sunshade,  the  one  the  Prince  gave  me  - —  and 
then  to  take  a  nice  nap  —  to  throw  off  everything 
and  sleep  two  long  hours  —  that's  the  best  thing 
I  know, —  and  then,  toward  evening,  when  it's 
cooler,  then  we  could  ride  out  to  the  woods,  and 
have  supper " 

44  But  we  can  do  all  that !  Why  so  scratchy, 
sweetheart?  " 

"  I  am  not  your  sweetheart,"  she  exclaimed 
impatiently,  turning  away  from  him.  "  I  don't 
want  to  be  anybody's  sweetheart !  What  sort  of 
an  affair  is  this,  anyhow?  You  can't  show  your- 
self with  me  anywhere,  because  everyone  knows 
you,  and  we  have  to  play  some  silly  comedy  when 
we  do  meet  anyone.  But  you  come  here 
whenever  you  like,  and  lie  in  wait  for  me,  and 
attack  me  with  caresses,  and  when  you  have 


134  THE     THIRD     SEX 

kissed  me  enough,  away  you  go  again  and  leave 
me  here  in  my  miserable  loneliness.  What  good 
does  a  love  like  that  do  me?  Am  I  nothing  but 
an  object  to  be  kissed,  something  you  can  take 
out  of  its  drawer  when  it  suits  you,  and  then  shut 
it  in  again?  Doesn't  that  rob  me  of  all  self- 
respect?  " 

"  Why,  why  I  what  does  all  this  mean  ?  Don't 
you  love  me  any  more,  Lilly?"  His  good-na- 
tured blue  eyes  looked  sadly  into  hers  as  he 
stretched  out  his  hands.  She  laid  both  arms 
around  his  neck  and  said  in  her  gentle,  complain- 
ing tones:  "Don't  be  angry,  dearest  —  I  do 
love  you  —  you  are  the  best  of  them  all,  I 
know  —  you  don't  think  badly  of  me, 
but " 

"But?"  he  asked,  as  she  did  not  finish  the 
sentence.  He  sat  down  in  the  nearest  chair  and 
drew  her  on  his  knees.  "  Come,  Lilly,  tell  me 
what  you  want.  You  know  we  have  agreed  that 
neither  shall  interfere  with  the  other's  freedom 
—  would  you  rather  have  someone  you  could 
marry?  " 

"  For  Heaven's  sake,  don't  talk  to  me  of  mar- 
riage." 

"  Well,  then?  You  know  I  have  a  good  wife, 
whom  I  love  and  honor  deeply,  and  you  mustn't 


THE     THIRD     SEX  135 

ask  foolishness  of  me.  I  saw  you  and  lost  my- 
self, and  I  am  drawn  to  you  as  the  moth  is  drawn 
to  the  flame.  And  because  you  are  so  clever  and 
not  merely  pretty,  you  promised  that  you  would 
shine  for  me,  but  not  burn  me.  In  gratitude 
I  will  pour  of  my  oil  on  your  lamp;  you  shall  be 
part  of  my  mental  life,  you  poor  lonely  little  one, 
and  my  humor  shall  brighten  your  wick  for  you, 
if  your  own  lack  of  joy  dulls  it.  That  is  all. 
Our  love  is  to  gild  an  episode  of  our  life  for  us, 
according  to  the  principle,  *  Adorn  thy  Home.' 
Adorn  every  corner  of  thy  soul,  say  I,  that  thou 
mayst  feel  at  home  within  thyself.  I  believe 
every  artist  needs  that,  and  you  are  an  artist,  too, 
my  dainty  little  Lilly  —  not  with  the  brush,  you 
know,  but  —  well,  in  general  —  in  your  power  of 
sensation.  You  have  wrought  a  masterpiece,  and 
that  is  yourself,  and  all  I  want  to  do  is  to  keep 
you  from  spoiling  it.  I  want  to  educate  you  to 
an  artistic  enjoyment  of  yourself." 

She  fell  on  his  neck  and  kissed  him  silently, 
and  when  he  raised  her  head  a  few  minutes  later 
to  gaze  into  her  eyes,  he  saw  that  they  were  full 
of  tears. 

"What  is  it,  dear?"  he  asked  gently. 

"  I  don't  know,  but  I  am  so  ashamed,"  she 
replied.  Then  she  straightened  herself  up, 


136          THE    THIRD    SEX 

rubbed  her  handkerchief  over  her  eyes  and  gazed 
thoughtfully  into  space.  She  stroked  his  curly 
blond  hair  gently,  and  began  to  speak: 

"  Ah,  dear  God,  if  I  had  only  been  born  a 
man.  What  might  I  not  have  done!  But  now, 
my  whole  life  is  a  living  disgrace.  I  am  nothing 
but  the  Female,  and  whenever  I  show  myself  the 
male  creatures  run  after  me  like  the  dogs  on  the 
street.  I  am  alluring  in  the  lowest  and  vilest 
meaning  of  the  word.  When  one  is  very  young 
and  does  not  know  the  man-animal,  then  it  is  fun 
—  it  makes  one  coquettish  —  couldn't  be  other- 
wise. And  then  the  men  think  they  are  delight- 
ing us,  when  they  dance  about  us  like  idiots.  I 
know  perfectly  well,  I  might  be  the  silliest  goose, 
or  the  most  degraded  creature,  they  would  act 
just  the  same.  Oh,  I  get  so  angry  about  it  some- 
times, that  I  would  like  to  tear  my  face  to  pieces, 
or  to  throw  vitriol  over  it  Can  there  be  a 
greater  disgrace  than  to  be  looked  on  merely  as 
the  female  animal?  Yes,  if  I  were  reckless  or 
light-minded,  all  vanity  and  sensuality,  then  at 
least  I  might  see  some  fun  in  passing  from  one 
hand  to  another.  But  I  assure  you,  I  don't  need 
any  man.  I  could  live  in  a  convent  and  not  feel 
any  lack.  If  I  had  any  belief,  I  would  enter  a 


THE    THIRD    SEX  137 

"  Poor  little  girl,  I  am  really  sorry  for  you," 
he  said  gravely,  without  looking  at  her. 

"  There  you  have  it  I  "  she  cried  with  a  harsh 
laugh,  her  delicate  features  tortured  in  an  angry 
grimace.  "  Pity !  That  is  the  most  I  can  ex- 
pect from  the  very  best  of  you.  And  what  will 
you  have  for  me,  pray,  when  I  am  old  and  ugly? 
Nothing  but  scorn  I  The  human  being  in  me, 
whom  you  have  never  cared  to  know,  will  be  all 
the  more  an  object  of  your  contempt,  when  the 
Woman  no  longer  attracts  you.  '  She's  had  a 
lively  past,'  you'll  say,  and  you'll  laugh  behind  my 
back  when  you  see  me  painted  and  fussed-up  like 
one  who  cannot  grow  old  in  honor,  because  you 
have  robbed  her  of  her  youth." 

Franz  Xaver  Pirngruber  did  not  reply,  and  sat 
tenderly  patting  her  arm.  He  was  thinking,  and 
she  waited  patiently  until  he  had  arrived  at  a 
conclusion.  She  looked  at  him  questioningly,  and 
he  spoke :  "  Lilly,  dear,  I  believe  you  should 
marry  again,  as  soon  as  you  are  free  of  your  first 
husband." 

"  Much  obliged.  Good  advice  that,"  she 
laughed,  getting  up  from  his  knees.  She  lit  a 
cigarette  and  threw  herself  on  the  sofa. 

"  Do  you  know,  my  dear,  what  my  lot  in  mar- 
riage, in  any  marriage,  will  be?  Only  an 


138  THE     THIRD     SEX 

amorous  fool  will  take  me,  and  he'll  be  cruelly 
disappointed  because  I  cannot  give  him  what  he 
expects  from  my  face  and  my  coquetry.  And 
then  he'll  treat  me  brutally  and  torment  me  with 
jealousy.  That's  how  it  was  with  the  first,  and 
that's  how  it  would  be  with  every  one.  No, 
dearest,  you  must  think  out  something  else 
for  me." 

"Then  there's  no  help  for  it;  you  must  try  to 
make  an  independent  existence  for  yourself." 

"  And  how?     With  my  brush?  " 

"  Oh,  Lord,  no  1  "  he  cried,  almost  in  alarm. 
u  Hold  on,  I  have  a  splendid  idea.  You  have 
another  talent  of  far  greater  importance,  and  if 
you  do  not  balk  at  using  it,  you  will  win  the  re- 
spect of  the  world  for  yourself,  and  also,  perhaps, 
inner  peace,  and  contentment.  Shall  I  tell  you 
what  it  is?  But  you  mustn't  be  angry  with  me." 

"  No,  no,  I  won't ;  tell  me." 

He  took  a  letter  from  the  table,  found  a  pen- 
cil in  his  pocket,  and  wrote  on  the  unused  page: 
"  Lilly  von  Robiceck,  modes  et  robes"  He  held 
the  sheet  across  the  table  to  her,  and  said: 
"  That  is  your  salvation." 

She  read  it  and  laughed. 

"  Hm,"  she  said  thoughtfully,  "  that  wouldn't 
be  so  bad, —  I'll  think  it  over.  But  please  go 


THE     THIRD     SEX  139 

now,  dear.  I  must  get  dressed,  or  I  won't  get 
a  decent  thing  to  eat  in  my  restaurant." 

He  rose  and  took  his  hat  and  gloves  from  a 
chair  by  the  door. 

"  Well,  if  I  must,  I  must,  I  suppose,"  he  said 
with  a  comic  sigh.  "  Don't  you  want  a  maid? 
I'd  so  like  to  help  you." 

"  No  indeed,  my  dear,  never  again!  " 

"  But  it  was  so  sweet,"  he  whispered,  bending 
down  to  reach  her  ear.  "  Well,  if  you  don't 
want  to,  I  won't  plague  you.  What  are  you  go- 
ing to  do  to-night?  Shall  we  have  supper  some- 
where?" 

"  Sorry,"  she  answered,  blushing  a  little,  "  I 
have  another  engagement  for  to-night  —  but 
wait  —  that's  an  idea !  The  Prince  asked  me  to 
bring  somebody  —  come  with  me,  do!  That 
would  be  lovely !  "  and  she  sprang  to  her  feet, 
clapping  her  hands  in  delight. 

"  What  Prince  ? "  he  asked,  with  a  frown. 
"Oh,  you  mean  your  Cloppenburg-Usingen ?  " 

"  Of  course,  he's  the  only  Prince  I  know.  He 
is  charming;  you  really  ought  to  know  him." 

"  My  dear  child,  that  is  impossible ;  I  am  a 
little  too  —  too  grown-up  for  that.  If  the 
Prince  wants  me,  he  must  come  for  me  him- 
self." 


I4o  THE     THIRD     SEX 

11  Oh,  don't  be  stupid!  "  she  laughed.  "  Why 
are  you  so  formal  all  at  once?  " 

He  took  her  hands,  played  with  them,  and 
replied  in  gentle  gravity.  "  Dear  child,  it  is 
necessary  to  think  of  the  rules  of  good  form  oc- 
casionally, even  for  the  freest  of  us.  He  who 
despises  all  form,  gives  every  cochon  the  right  to 
call  him  brother." 

"  But  the  Prince  isn't  a  cochon,"  she  pouted. 

"  I  did  not  mean  to  infer  that,"  he  laughed. 
"  But  I  don't  fit  into  his  circle.  I  know  that  he 
considers  me  among  the  old-fashioned  artists,  the 
artistically  dead  in  his  opinion.  He  patronizes 
only  the  very  youngest  and  the  very  craziest. 
Well,  I  don't  begrudge  him  his  pleasure,  but  I  clo 
begrudge  him  you." 

"  You  don't  think  .  .  .  ?  Oh,  fie,  that's 
nasty  of  you."  She  shook  herself  free  angrily, 
stepped  to  her  wardrobe  and  opened  its  doors 
wide. 

"  Oh,  well,  I  know,"  he  said,  "  the  Prince  has 
the  reputation  of  being  insensible  to  feminine 
charms.  Who  else  will  be  there?" 

She  shrugged  her  shoulders.  "  Haven't  an 
idea.  The  Prince  invites  only  the  very  nicest 
people  —  young  artists,  diplomats,  officers  in 


THE    THIRD     SEX  141 

careful  selection,  and  such  like.  Shall  I  put 
this  on?" 

She  unhooked  one  of  the  wooden  forms,  over 
which  hung  a  dainty  white  batiste  gown  with  a 
flowered  silk  waist. 

"  That's  very  pretty,"  he  answered  indiffer- 
ently, and  continued  with  more  emphasis.  "  And 
the  ladies?  What  sort  of  women  go  to  the 
Prince's  house?" 

"  Oh,  very  nice  ones,"  answered  Lilly  absently, 
shaking  out  the  delicate  skirt  and  holding  it  up  to 
the  light.  "  Ladies  of  the  Court  theater,  and  the 
beautiful  Rosie  Unger " 

"Count  Rimsky's  latest?" 

"  Do  you  know  her?  " 

"  Well  rather.  She  owes  her  career  to  my 
colleague  Piglheim;  he  painted  her  often  enough, 
in  great  style." 

"A  model?  I  didn't  know  that.  I  don't 
care  much  for  her,  anyway."  She  took  the  gown 
over  her  arm,  and  started  for  the  bedroom  door. 
With  her  hand  on  the  knob  she  turned,  and 
nodded  carelessly  to  her  tall  friend.  "  Then  we 
won't  see  each  other  again  to-day?  I  wish  I 
knew  who  to  take  with  me." 

He  stepped  quickly  to  her  side,  and  tried  to 


142  THE     THIRD     SEX 

take  her  hand.  "  Lilly,  I  want  to  talk  seriously 
with  you." 

"  But  I  don't,"  she  answered,  slipped  through 
the  door  and  bolted  it  on  the  other  side. 

Franz  Xaver  Pirngruber  stood  there,  snapped 
his  fingers  angrily  and  gnawed  his  lower  lip,  but 
he  did  not  take  his  departure.  He  meditated 
for  a  few  moments,  then  the  open  wardrobe  at- 
tracted his  attention.  He  stepped  up  to  it  and 
drew  his  fingers  absently  over  the  garments  hang- 
ing there.  The  tissue  paper  wrapped  around 
some  of  the  waists  rattled,  he  heard  the  rustling 
of  silk  and  satin,  and  the  delicate  aroma  of  a  per- 
fume unknown  to  him  floated  about  him.  He 
closed  his  eyes  and  drank  it  in  slowly,  and  it  was 
as  if  the  fragrance  of  her  warm  skin,  her  soft 
loose  hair,  enveloped  him.  He  crushed  his  cap 
in  his  hands,  then  threw  it  violently  on  the  table 
and  stared  again  at  the  wardrobe.  On  the  upper 
cross  shelf  were  her  hats,  all  carefully  wrapped 
in  tissue  paper,  on  the  floor  stood  her  boots  and 
shoes  in  an  even  row,  and  between  them  hung  the 
charming  gowns,  all  of  which,  as  he  knew,  she 
herself  had  designed  and  carried  out  with  the  help 
of  a  seamstress,  all  of  them  showing  exquisite 
taste  and  rich  imagination.  For  Lilly  von  Robi- 
ceck  this  wardrobe  had  the  importance  that  a  vol- 


THE     THIRD     SEX  143 

ume  of  choicest  novelettes  would  have  for  a  poet, 
or  a  collection  of  rare  studies  for  a  painter.  She 
had  cast  many  such  volumes,  many  such  collec- 
tions, to  the  winds,  and  gone  eagerly  at  the 
making  of  new  ones.  She  had  developed  this 
talent  from  her  childhood,  as  carefully  as  does 
any  ambitious  artist  —  her  heart,  her  very  life 
was  bound  up  in  it.  Her  exquisite  body,  before 
the  pure  lines  of  which  Franz  Xaver  Pirngruber 
had  sunk  to  his  knees  in  adoration,  not  daring  to 
touch  it  in  his  awed  reverence  for  the  glory  of 
Perfect  Beauty  —  this  body  was  to  her  nothing 
but  a  foil  for  the  many  dainty  coverings  upon 
which  all  her  energy  and  her  love  of  art  were 
expended. 

Oh,  woman,  woman!  No  sooner  had  Mother 
Eve  tasted  of  the  Tree  of  Knowledge  than  she 
became  ashamed  of  her  divine  nakedness.  She 
plucked  a  leaf  from  the  nearest  fig-tree,  and  gig- 
gling, with  averted  eyes,  she  handed  it  to  her 
good  Adam,  who  probably  stood  looking  at  it  in 
dazed  ignorance,  long  after  Eve  had  fashioned 
her  first  fancy  apron.  The  talent  for  conceal- 
ment—  the  love  of  the  game  of  hide-and-seek! 
This  has  been  her  thought  from  the  beginning, 
and  in  this  art  she  has  achieved  the  greatest  re- 
sults. The  core  of  things  has  no  interest  for  her, 


144  THE     THIRD     SEX 

and  the  answer  to  the  question,  "  Does  this  be- 
come me?  "  is  all-important.  Every  true  woman 
has  a  wardrobe  full  of  such  coverings,  which  are 
the  object  of  her  tenderest  care;  and  a  true  man 
pays  no  one  so  grudgingly  as  he  does  his  tailor, 
for  in  his  heart  of  hearts  he  denies  the  latter's 
right  to  existence.  Therefore  the  true  man  and 
the  true  woman  can  never  entirely  understand  one 
another;  therefore  there  can  be  for  the  man  no 
happy  medium  between  brutality  and  foolish  sub- 
mission, and  but  little  choice  for  the  woman,  in 
her  relations  with  the  man,  of  anything  but 
slavish  subjection,  or  a  malicious,  obstinate  war 
of  revenge. 

The  woman  who  truly  loves  a  man  feels  the 
burning  desire  to  fill  the  shell  of  her  personality 
with  something  that  is  real ;  and  the  woman  whose 
proud  self-sufficiency  does  not  know  this  longing 
cannot  love  any  man.  But  man's  love  grows  out 
af  his  hatred  for  the  concealing  covering.  It 
attracts  him,  allures  him,  as  does  every  obstacle, 
every  secret.  He  must  know  what  lies  behind 
everything,  he  would  catch  and  hold  the  evanes- 
cent; the  Strange  and  the  New  must  bend  before 
him.  It  is  the  male  love-impulse  that  leads  the 
hunter,  the  conqueror,  the  explorer  to  his  goal. 
If  women  ever  tired  of  the  eternal  masquerade, 


THE     THIRD     SEX  145 

then  love  would  lose  all  charm  for  men.  Nat- 
ural selection  would  stop  and  the  police  would 
have  to  arrange  for  the  propagation  of  the 
species.  Therefore  it  is  ordained  in  the  scheme 
of  creation  that  one  half  of  humanity  shall  make 
itself  contemptible  in  the  eyes  of  the  other  half, 
to  lure  this  other  half  to  love. 

Similar  thoughts  ran  through  Mr.  Franz 
Xaver  Pirngruber's  brain  as  he  stood,  gnawing 
his  lips  and  nervously  clasping  and  unclasping  his 
hands,  before  the  open  wardrobe  where  hung  his 
love  in  manifold  shape.  Which  of  them  loved 
him?  For  one  at  least  really  did  love  him,  that 
he  had  felt  with  deep  happiness.  Was  it  this 
one  in  velvet,  or  the  one  in  silk,  was  it  the  woolen 
one,  or  the  gray,  or  the  green?  Disgusting! 
Atrocious!  Must  we  always  pay  for  the  few 
sweet  hours  that  spice  the  heavy  dough  of  daily 
existence,  by  making  fools  of  ourselves?  He 
was  too  proud  for  that,  he  would  go  at  once,  and 
never  see  her  again.  He  grabbed  for  his  cap, 
then  he  caught  up  the  nearest  chair  and  dashed 
it  on  the  floor  with  a  crash,  and  in  a  cellar-deep 
roar  he  cried,  "  Good-by,  Lilly." 

A  slight  scream  was  heard  in  the  next  room, 
the  bolt  was  pushed  back,  and  charming  little 
Mrs.  von  Robiceck  stood  on  the  threshold,  the 


i46  THE     THIRD     SEX 

white  cloud  of  her  batiste  gown  floating  around 
her,  while  she  fastened  the  last  hooks  of  her 
bodice.  "  Good  gracious,  how  you  frightened 
me !  "  she  remarked,  with  a  reproachful  glance. 
"Why  are  you  still  here,  Xaverl?  To  what  do 
I  owe  this  honor?  " 

In  two  steps  he  was  at  her  side,  and  caught  her 
arm  in  hands  that  trembled.  "  I  can't  stand  it," 
he  cried,  "  I  can't  see  you  throw  yourself  away." 

"  Oh,  please,  sir,  who's  throwing  themselves 
away?"  she  rebelled.  "Don't  crush  my  new 
waist." 

But  he  would  not  loosen  his  hold,  and  growled 
between  clenched  teeth :  "  Don't  you  realize 
that  you  are  taking  foolish  risks  with  your  repu- 
tation?" 

"Ah,  this  is  sudden,"  she  laughed  bitterly. 
"  I  suppose  it  doesn't  hurt  my  reputation  at  all 
to  have  people  know  me  as  your  mistress?  " 

"  Nonsense  I  that's  different.  I  don't  compro- 
mise you,  I  don't  boast  of  my  triumph  like  those 
young  fools;  I  am  with  you  only  in  secret." 

"  You  are  very  nai've,  my  dear."  Her  smile 
was  cruel.  "  Do  you  remember  the  meeting  in 
Grunwald?  That  young  Baron  Whatshisname 
has  already  permitted  himself  some  impertinence 
on  the  strength  of  it." 


THE    THIRD     SEX  147 

"  I'll  land  him  one  on  the  ear  that  will " 

"  I  thought  you  said  you  never  compromised 
me?" 

"  Stop  it,  woman !  "  he  whispered  in  a  rage 
of  passion,  holding  her  closer.  "  I'd  strangle 
you,  if  I  didn't  love  you  so  absurdly.  Don't  go 
to  the  Prince's  to-night,  don't  —  for  my  sake." 

She  rose  to  the  tips  of  her  toes  and  caught  at 
his  hair. 

"  No,  no,  you  big  stupid  Xaverl,  if  you  hate 
it  so,  then  I  won't  go.  But  see  what  you  have 
done  to  my  gown.  I  can't  go  out  looking  like 
this!" 

"  Much  I  care !  "  he  cried,  raising  the  slight 
figure  in  his  arms,  tossing  and  squeezing  and 
kissing  her,  until  she  could  scarcely  breathe. 

"  You're  just  horrid,"  she  panted.  "  Let  me 
go  — I —  I'll  be  good." 

"  You  will?     You  will  really?  "  he  whispered. 

She  crept  to  the  door,  and  turned  the  key. 
Then  she  raised  both  arms  to  him,  with  a 
strangely  sad  smile  and  sighed:  "  For  peace' 
sake,  then " 


CHAPTER  VI 

PRINCE  CLOPPENBURG-USINGEN  was 
the  most  amiable,  sympathetic  personality  in 
the  world.  His  temper  appeared  to  be  as  rosy 
as  his  complexion,  and  his  eyes  shone  with  un- 
dimmed  good-nature,  like  the  eyes  of  a  child  just 
awakening  from  a  long  healthy  sleep.  No  one 
had  ever  heard  a  sharp  word  from  his  lips,  or 
witnessed  any  brutality  of  emotion  on  his  part. 
His  refined  mind  and  ready  wit  made  him  a  fa- 
vorite guest  everywhere,  and  his  happy  knack  of 
humor  helped  him  to  endure  the  one  sorrow  of 
an  otherwise  enviable  existence:  the  fact  that  he 
was  not  a  great  artist.  He  had  given  up  the  mil- 
itary career  early  in  life,  to  devote  himself 
entirely  to  his  passion  for  the  arts.  His  fortune 
was  large  enough  to  permit  him  to  arrange  his 
life  according  to  his  own  ideas  of  comfort,  with- 
out any  exaggerated  luxury,  and  to  enable  him, 
within  moderate  limits,  to  play  the  part  of  a 
Maecenas.  He  did  not  keep  a  stable,  and  cards 
interested  him  as  little  as  did  women.  With  the 


THE     THIRD     SEX  149 

thousands  saved  in  this  way  he  had  gathered  a 
notable  little  collection  of  pictures,  which  were 
divided  between  his  city  apartment  and  his  villa 
on  the  Chiemsee.  He  had  had  a  young  actor 
educated  at  his  expense;  had  sent  two  young 
painters  to  Paris  and  Italy;  had  opened  a  dress- 
making establishment  for  his  valet's  forsaken 
sweetheart;  had  subscribed  to  all  monuments  for 
men  of  brains,  and  had  lent  money  to  his  many 
good  friends  in  cheerful  assurance  that  he  would 
never  see  it  again.  So  it  must  be  acknowledged 
that  in  spite  of  his  youth  he  had  already  done 
much  that  was  useful.  And  in  consideration  of 
this,  it  could  be  forgiven  him  that  the  verses  he 
had  printed  at  his  own  expense  showed  nothing 
more  than  a  certain  purity  of  feeling;  that  his 
manuscript  compositions  proved  only  that  he  had 
studied  carefully;  and  also,  and  finally,  that  his 
own  paintings  were  never  completed. 

On  the  particular  day  of  which  we  are  writing, 
Prince  Cloppenburg-Usingen  was  to  celebrate  his 
thirtieth  birthday.  His  full-cheeked  baby  face, 
with  the  tiny  blond  mustache  on  the  curved  upper 
lip,  made  him  look  scarce  two-and-twenty, 
whereas  the  assurance  of  his  carriage  and  opin- 
ions might  have  put  him  down  for  fifty.  The 
Prince  was  nervous  and  irritated,  although  a  care- 


I5o  THE     THIRD     SEX 

less  observer  might  not  have  been  aware  of  it. 
He  had  wished  to  celebrate  his  thirtieth  birthday 
in  worthy  style,  and  for  this  reason  alone  had  left 
his  Chiemsee  villa  and  come  into  town.  But  he 
had  been  unfortunate  with  his  invitations.  Most 
of  his  friends  of  both  sexes  were  in  the  country, 
and  as  the  weather  happened  to  be  particularly 
good,  none  of  them  would  venture  the  trip  into 
town  just  for  this  little  fete.  So  at  the  very  last 
moment  he  had  bethought  himself  of  charming 
little  Mrs.  von  Robiceck,  who  always  had  some 
passable  men  hanging  about  her;  and  of  Arnulf 
Rau,  whom  he  really  could  not  abide,  but  who 
made  a  good  figure  in  an  intellectual  crowd  with 
his  easily  delivered  paradoxes.  He  had  asked 
the  great  Arnulf  to  bring  friends  if  he  wished  to. 
Besides  these  necessity  invitations,  the  only  ac- 
ceptance was  that  of  Count  Rimsky,  with  his 
spouse  of  the  season,  Rosie  Ungerer. 

The  first  to  come  was  the  great  Arnulf  Rau, 
and  who  should  he  bring  with  him  but  Baron  Dr. 
Raoul  de  Kerkhove,  whom  Lilly  that  very  morn- 
ing had  described  to  the  Prince  as  a  horrid  little 
bore.  The  two  men  sat  talking  to  the  Prince  for 
nearly  an  hour,  filling  his  drawing-room  with  the 
smoke  of  his  most  expensive  cigars  and  cigar- 
ettes, and  admiring  his  antique  furniture  and 


THE    THIRD    SEX  151 

modern  objets  d'art,  but  no  one  else  arrived. 
The  Prince's  cook  was  in  despair,  and  had  twice 
sent  the  valet  Luigi,  a  clever  Italian  who  spoke 
three  languages  and  cherished  a  tender  affection 
for  his  master's  wine  cellar,  to  say  that  supper 
was  spoiling  and  that  she  still  did  not  know  how 
many  places  were  to  be  laid. 

T-r-r-r-rl  at  last  the  electric  bell  buzzed,  and 
Luigi  flew  to  the  door.  The  talk  stopped,  and 
the  three  gentlemen  gazed  toward  the  entrance 
in  anxious  expectation.  Count  Rimsky,  lieuten- 
ant of  heavy  cavalry,  appeared  on  the  threshold, 
wiping  his  heated  brow  with  his  handkerchief. 

"  You  are  alone  ?  "  cried  the  Prince. 

"  Yes.  I  am  very  sorry,  but "  He  in- 
terrupted himself,  bowing  in  military  fashion  to 
the  two  strangers.  The  Prince  murmured  the  in- 
troductions, and  then  Count  Rimsky  drew  him 
into  the  ante-room  with  a  stammered  excuse,  lead- 
ing him  by  the  arm  as  far  as  the  window. 

"  What  is  the  matter  ?  Why  didn't  you  bring 
your  Rosie?"  whispered  the  Prince. 

"The  devil  take  that  confounded  woman!" 
answered  the  Count  in  the  same  low  tone. 
"  She's  just  been  making  a  scene  because  I  de- 
clared that  I  can  buy  her  no  more  new  gowns 
this  summer.  She's  getting  to  be  atrociously 


i52  THE    THIRD     SEX 

exacting  since  she's  discovered  that  I  have  come 
to  the  end  of  my  tether.  The  rats  are  leaving 
the  sinking  ship." 

"What  does  that  mean?  more  difficulties?" 

"  Don't  ask  such  silly  questions,  Cloppenburg. 
You  know  my  affairs.  The  Colonel  came  out 
with  it  to-day  —  c'est  fini,  I  must  ask  for  my 
leave." 

"Really?" 

"  My  papa  has  written  to  the  Prince  Regent 
—  I  am  requested  from  High  Quarters  to  ask  to 
be  kicked  out." 

"  Poor  fellow,  and  what  then?  " 

The  Count  shrugged  his  shoulders :  "  'N'sais 
fas, —  wine  agent,  life  insurance,  or  painter. 
C'est  tout  egal." 

"  Hm!     Can  I  do  anything  for  you?  " 

"  Not  unless  you  insist  on  ruining  yourself. 
It's  a  matter  of  some  sixty  thousand.  I  have 
spoken  to  a  lawyer  already;  we'll  make  a  con- 
tract with  my  creditors,  by  which  I  promise  to  live 
to  be  eighty  and  pay  off  my  debts  from  my  in- 
come. Fine  idea,  eh?  Ah,  bah  —  il  faut 
prendre  la  chose  en  philosophe.  Congratulate 
you,  by  the  way,  many  happy  returns." 

"  Thanks  —  you  remember  it?  " 

"Of  course;  didn't  we  have  a  jolly  time  here 


THE     THIRD     SEX  153 

this  day  last  year?     Who's  that  in  there  now?  " 

The  Prince  smiled  a  little  dolefully  and  whis- 
pered in  his  ear. 

11  The  blond  with  the  swelled-head  expression 
is  *  One  Who  is  Enough  in  Himself.'  He  looks 
to  me  like  a  man  sitting  for  his  monument.  Le 
Petit  a  I'aire  melancolique  says  he  is  a  nephew  of 
Prince  Krapotkin,  and  plays  the  Nihilist." 

"  The  devil !  that's  interesting,"  laughed 
Rimsky,  in  his  accustomed  tone  of  merry  mockery. 
"  Any  ladies  coming?  " 

"  Yes,  little  Robiceck  promised  to  be  here." 

"Lilly?  Charming  I  I  breathe  again."  The 
young  Count  hooked  his  arm  through  that  of  the 
Prince,  and  led  him  into  the  drawing-room  again, 
just  as  Luigi  ran  up  anxiously  to  his  master,  and 
confided  to  him  in  gesticulating  Italian,  that  the 
cook  declared  she  would  leave  the  house  if  the 
supper  was  not  served  subito,  subito. 

"  Va  bene,"  decided  the  Prince  with  a  shrug, 
"fa  venire  la  zupa.  E  quando  vengone  le  sig- 
nore, —  eh!  dc  la  sua  colpa  se  fanno  espettarsi." 

Luigi  skipped  away,  and  the  two  men  returned 
to  the  drawing-room.  A  few  seconds  later  the 
folding  doors  to  the  dining-room  were  thrown 
open,  and  the  company  took  their  places  at  the 
table.  Two  of  the  original  eight  seats  had  been 


i54  THE     THIRD     SEX 

removed,  and  the  center  places  at  each  side  of  the 
small  table  were  left  free  in  expectation  of  Mrs. 
von  Robiceck  and  a  possible  friend. 

A  tasteful  bronze  electrolier,  with  a  dozen 
lights  softened  pleasantly  by  their  colored  glass 
globes,  shed  its  mild  light  over  the  quiet  elegance 
of  the  table  fittings.  Heavy  old  silver,  china  dis- 
creetly decorated,  beautiful  old  glasses,  and  a  sin- 
gle ornament,  a  Venetian  vase  with  flowers,  gave 
the  whole  an  appearance  of  refined  taste.  A 
bunch  of  unusually  large  and  glowing  poppies 
filled  the  vase,  and  deep  red  roses  and  carnations 
were  strewn  thickly  over  the  shining  damask  cloth. 
The  dining-room  was  not  large,  and  besides  the 
necessary  tables  and  chairs  it  contained  no  furni- 
ture except  a  charmingly  fantastic  sideboard,  com- 
posed by  Hans  von  Berlepsch,  and  two  antique 
chests.  The  only  decoration  on  the  walls  was  a 
large  tapestry  piece  by  Hermann  Obrist,  a  fan- 
tastic tree  of  golden  blossoms  on  a  gray-brown 
silk  background,  which  hung  between  the  win- 
dows, and  on  the  opposite  wall  a  large  Moonrise 
on  the  Moor,  by  the  Worpswede  Master,  Otto 
Modersohn. 

The  soup  was  eaten  in  silence,  but  with  little 
reverence.  All  four  men  still  felt  the  unpleasant 
effects  of  the  long  term  of  waiting,  and  the  right 


THE    THIRD    SEX  155 

sort  of  joviality  would  not  come.  The  conversa- 
tion moved  slowly,  grating  on  its  forced  phrases 
like  a  badly  oiled  wheel.  While  waiting  for  the 
hors  d'oeuvre,  the  Prince  poured  out  the  vino 
santo,  and  remarked  that  he  never  enjoyed  this 
noble  vintage  except  in  the  presence  of  la- 
dies. 

"  I  find,"  he  continued,  "  that  a  nearer  ac- 
quaintance with  the  other  sex  is  not  conducive  to 
philosophic  thought,  nor  to  the  free  development 
of  the  artist's  soul ;  but  as  table  decoration  I  can- 
not dispense  with  pretty  women.  If  one  eats  just 
to  fill  up,  then  women  are  in  the  way.  But  when 
one  sits  at  table  for  esthetic  enjoyment  they  are  a 
necessity  —  am  I  not  right,  gentlemen  ?  " 

"  Undoubtedly,"  answered  Count  Rimsky  for 
the  guests.  "  They  are  indispensable,  if  for  no 
other  reason  than  because  we  men,  when  alone 
at  any  gathering,  invariably  fall  into  heavy  drink- 
ing and  cochonerie." 

Arnulf  Rau  let  his  white  fingers  play  with  his 
bread,  and  threw  out  the  following  sentence : 

"  I  wonder  if  the  New  Women  will  be  able  to 
escape  drinking  and  cochonerie  in  their  convivial 
gatherings?  " 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  New  Women?  "  asked 
the  heavy  cavalryman. 


156  THE     THIRD     SEX 

"  Well,  the  Third  Sex,  that  is  coming  into  be- 
ing." 

And  as  the  Count  demanded  more  explicit  defi- 
nition, the  handsome  Arnulf  delivered  himself  of 
the  following  explanation :  "  With  the  term 
'  Third  Sex,'  I  classify  all  those  female  existences 
that  through  natural  inclination,  or  by  pressure 
of  circumstances,  have  come  to  feel  themselves  no 
longer  mere  sex  individualities,  but  simply  human 
beings.  There  have  always  been  many  women 
who  have  had  to  deny  themselves  the  fulfilling  of 
their  natural  destiny,  and  who  yet  have  felt  no 
regret,  because  of  their  lack  of  any  strong  de- 
velopment either  of  sensual  emotion  or  of  ma- 
ternal instinct.  In  former  days,  however,  these 
natural  Neuters  have  been  obliged  to  adapt  them- 
selves to  the  scheme  of  feminine  existence,  as  law 
and  morality  forbade  them  any  part  in  the  physi- 
cal or  mental  occupations  which  were  considered 
man's  sole  property.  They  floated  through  life 
like  gray  moths,  and  on  their  tombstone  was  writ- 
ten only  that  they  had  been  somebody's  Aunt. 
The  development  of  economic  conditions  into  a 
state  of  brutal  capitalism  has  had  for  effect  an 
enormous  increasing  of  the  army  of  the  aunts  by 
battalions,  voluntary  or  conscript.  Men  are  sel- 
dom able  to  marry  nowadays  in  the  years  when 


THE    THIRD    SEX  157 

nature  brings  the  sexes  together,  and  the  families 
of  the  proletariat,  which  make  out  ninety-three 
per  cent,  of  our  population,  cannot  support  drones. 
Therefore  the  millions  of  women  who  have  no 
chance  to  marry  must  find  their  salvation  in  their 
own  work.  The  majority  never  lose  the  longing 
for  marriage,  and  remain  women.  They  consider 
themselves  oppressed  slaves  of  necessity,  and  do 
not  know  how  to  appreciate  their  own  freedom. 
But  there  is  a  minority,  steadily  increasing,  which 
has  learned  to  find  contentment  and  satisfaction  in 
work,  and  these  are  the  recruits  of  the  Third  Sex. 
The  present-day  emancipation  of  woman  has  for 
its  object  the  Revolt  of  the  Aunts.  They  are 
made  discontented,  they  are  inoculated  with  the 
virus  of  culture,  and  whipped  by  the  lash  of  am- 
bition into  a  competition  with  man  in  all  possible 
fields.  The  Third  Sex  is  to  be  the  proof  of  the 
mental  equality  of  man  and  woman." 

"Do  you  believe  in  this  equality?"  asked 
Count  Rimsky. 

"  Of  course  not,"  smiled  Arnulf  Rau.  "  The 
ladies  themselves  give  the  strongest  proof  against 
it.  As  a  capacity  for  the  competition  is  shown 
mainly  by  those  who  have  first  rid  themselves  of 
their  sex  qualities,  it  is  clear  the  second  sex,  of 
itself,  cannot  compete  with  the  first." 


158  THE    THIRD     SEX 

"  Bravo  I  I  can  see  that,"  exclaimed  the  Count 
eagerly.  "  My  experience  has  taught  me  that 
women  are  divided  by  nature  into  two  groups,  the 
pretty  ones  and  the  ugly  ones.  The  pretty  ones 
have  a  right  to  Love,  to  the  power  we  give  them 
through  gallantry,  and  —  well,  to  all  the  good 
things  of  life  generally.  The  ugly  ones  must  be 
content  with  work  and  piety.  Therefore,  I  am 
for  the  preservation  of  religion  and  capital- 
ism." 

The  others  rewarded  these  brilliant  remarks 
with  hearty  laughter,  in  which  the  Lieutenant  him- 
self joined  with  the  utmost  good-nature. 

Then  Raoul  de  Kerkhove  ventured  the  timid 
assertion  that  nowadays  there  were  a  considerable 
number  of  pretty  women  among  the  amazons  of 
the  Third  Sex. 

"  Well,  and  don't  you  think  that  is  horrid,  sim- 
ply degoutantf  "  nasaled  the  Count. 

"  Pardon  me,  but  degoutant  is  perhaps  too 
strong  an  expression,"  answered  Raoul,  "  although 
I  confess  it  is  sad.  But  we  would  be  too  severe 
in  our  egotism  if  we  were  to  treat  these  ladies 
with  contempt.  I  must  confess  I  suffer  with 
them." 

"  My  young  friend  is  still  battling  with  Ego- 
tism," said  Arnulf  Rau  with  a  patronizing  smile. 


THE     THIRD     SEX  159 

"  When  he  is  a  little  older  he  will  learn  to  honor 
selfishness  as  the  great  motor  impulse." 

"  Then  you  are  no  Socialist,  thank  goodness  1  " 
cried  the  Count,  touching  glasses  with  Arnulf. 

"No,  not  in  the  least,"  answered  the  latter. 
"  For  if,  because  of  the  immaturity  of  the  age, 
socialism  should  become  a  fact,  it  will  serve  only 
to  hasten  the  development  of  the  Bee  State,  and 
that  appears  to  me  to  be  the  worst  misfortune 
that  could  occur  to  humanity.  For  it  would  fa- 
tally delay  the  coming  of  the  Super-Man." 

"The  Bee  State?"  The  Prince  repeated  the 
words  with  an  approving  nod.  "  Workers, 
drones  and  queens  —  hm  —  horrible  prospect ! 
Although  one  could  look  on  the  production  of  a 
third  sex  against  the  will  of  nature  as  a  triumph 
of  the  human  mind.  The  Bee  State  would  fit  well 
in  a  world  where  mankind,  instead  of  eating,  took 
its  nourishment  in  the  form  of  pills,  and  where 
there  was  no  love,  but  only  the  driving  of  the  fe- 
males in  herds  to  the  breeding  business." 

During  the  last  words  Luigi  entered  with  a 
plate  of  lobster  and  caviar.  The  gentlemen 
helped  themselves  and  ate  with  the  look  of  mar- 
tyrs conscious  of  taking  part  in  the  last  festival 
of  the  old  two-sex  world. 

The  sharp  rattle  of  the  door-bell  broke  the  si- 


160  THE     THIRD     SEX 

lence,  and  as  one  man  the  company  looked  up 
from  their  plates  and  gazed  in  expectation  toward 
the  hall. 

**  Thank  goodness,  here  come  the  ladies," 
whispered  the  cavalry  lieutenant  with  a  sigh  of  re- 
lief. Arnulf  Rau  took  the  liberty  of  asking  who 
was  expected. 

"  Charming  little  Mrs.  von  Robiceck,"  an- 
swered the  Prince.  "  She  promised  to  bring 
some  friend  with  her,  and  as  she  has  excellent 
taste,  I  feel  sure  she  will  do  us  credit." 

"  Mrs.  von  Robiceck?  "  cried  Raoul,  and  could 
not  hide  his  joyful  blushes. 

11  You  know  the  lady?  "  Arnulf  Rau  turned  to 
his  neighbor. 

And  the  Prince  said :  "  I  am  surprised  you  do 
not  know  her.  She  is  at  present  the  most  per- 
fect thing  of  her  kind  that  the  walls  of  Munich 
enclose." 

"And  this  kind  is?"  queried  the  handsome 
man. 

"  Third  Sex,  tragically  complicated  by  beauty 
and  feminine  vanity." 

"  Mrs.  von  Robiceck  Third  Sex?  Impossi- 
ble!" cried  Raoul  de  Kerkhove  in  youthful  en- 
thusiasm. "  Why,  I  saw  her  in  conditions  that 
only  the  second  sex  can  ever  get  into." 


THE     THIRD     SEX  161 

Sudden  laughter  warned  the  young  Baron  that 
he  had  innocently  made  a  rather  shady  joke.  He 
stammered  a  blushing  excuse  and  was  about  to 
explain  himself  more  clearly,  when  the  Prince 
whispered  a  sharp  "  Discretion !  "  across  the  table. 

At  this  moment  the  door  was  thrown  open,  and 
Luigi  ushered  in  Mrs.  von  Robiceck  and  two 
young  men.  The  four  men  at  the  table  sprang 
up,  and  rushed  to  meet  the  long-expected  one. 
Her  two  followers  were  scarcely  noticed  at  first 
in  the  general  joy  at  the  presence  of  the  Eternal 
Feminine.  The  Prince  and  the  Count  seized  her 
two  hands  and  gallantly  kissed  her  long  white 
gloves,  and  not  until  she  had  had  her  scolding  for 
her  late  coming,  and  heard  the  compliments  for 
her  charming  costume  —  silk  muslin  embroidered 
in  flowers  over  olive  silk,  with  wide  sleeves, 
slightly  open  neck,  and  pink  sash  —  did  she  find 
a  chance  to  introduce  the  two  young  men. 

"  Mr.  Werner  Rudolfi,  Mr.  Joachim  von  Los- 
sow,  both  painters.  You  see,  my  dear  Prince,  I 
have  taken  advantage  of  your  kind  invitation. 
Now,  gentlemen,  it  is  up  to  you  to  do  me  credit." 

She  gave  each  of  the  young  men  a  little  pat  with 
her  fan,  and  then  let  the  Prince  lead  her  to  her 
place  between  Count  Rimsky  and  Arnulf  Rau. 

The  men  introduced  themselves  to  each  other, 


162  THE     THIRD     SEX 

and  took  their  seats  as  soon  as  another  place  had 
been  laid.  Their  host  gave  no  sign  that  he  would 
have  preferred  ladies  in  their  stead,  and  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  two  young  artists  was  in  their 
favor.  They  wore  well-cut  coats  of  the  newest 
style,  and  immense  black  ties  that  left  only  a  hair- 
breadth of  their  high  collars  visible.  Mr.  Ru- 
dolfi  was  very  blond,  and  endeavored  to  give  his 
peaceful  amiable  face  a  more  energetic  expres- 
sion by  means  of  a  mustache  waxed  upward  a  la 
William  the  Second.  Mr.  von  Lossow,  a  slender 
Mecklenburger,  brunette  and  smooth-shaven  ex- 
cept for  a  suspicion  of  side-whiskers,  had  a  soft 
nervous  mouth,  an  unfortunate  nose,  and  deep-set 
passionate  eyes. 

"  Am  I  really  the  only  lady?  "  asked  Lilly  von 
Robiceck,  in  assumed  alarm.  "How  stupid! 
Please  don't  let  me  disturb  you,  gentlemen,  pre- 
tend I  was  not  here,  or  else  I  shall  feel  I  am  in 
the  way.  If  I  had  known  that,  I  should  have  put 
on  trousers." 

"  Wouldn't  have  helped  you,  Madame,"  said 
Count  Rimsky.  "  One  cannot  disguise  oneself, 
when  one  is  as  charming  as  you  are." 

"Oh,  dearie  me!  is  that  beginning  again?" 
cried  Lilly,  with  a  drolly  unhappy  upward  glance. 
"  I  warn  you,  Count,  one  single  flattery,  and  I  take 


THE     THIRD     SEX  163 

my  two  young  men  under  my  arm  and  leave  the 
place.  You  must  know  that  I  am  an  independent 
woman.  I  have  earned  five  hundred  rubles  by 
the  work  of  my  own  hands !  Ask  Baron  de  Kerk- 
hove.  It  is  true  that  I  have  not  yet  received  the 
five  hundred  rubles,  but  the  mere  prospect  has 
emancipated  me.  Please  allow  yourselves  to  be 
much  impressed !  " 

"  Folia,  messieurs!  "  cried  the  Prince,  "  there 
is  the  illustration  to  our  conversation  of  a  few 
minutes  past." 

"  If  that  is  renewed,  then  /  leave  the  place  in 
protest,"  nasaled  Count  Rimsky,  stopping  a  mo- 
ment in  his  occupation  of  preparing  a  lobster  claw 
for  Mrs.  von  Robiceck. 

"What  were  you  talking  about?"  asked  the 
young  lady. 

"No,  no,  don't  tell  her!"  cried  the  Count 
eagerly. 

"  Then  I  must  assume  you  were  saying  naughty 
things  about  me,"  was  Lilly  von  Robiceck's  opin- 
ion. 

There  was  an  eager  protest  against  such  ac- 
cusation, which  naturally  increased  Mrs.  von  Robi- 
ceck's curiosity  until  the  Prince  was  compelled  to 
rehearse  the  main  points  of  the  argument.  Lilly 
listened  attentively,  then  turned  to  the  Count. 


164  THE     THIRD     SEX 

"  And  so,  sir,  you  wanted  to  shut  me  out  from 
such  an  intellectual  conversation,  did  you?  I  am 
to  amuse  you,  but  I  must  not  make  you  think! 
No,  indeed,  that  don't  go,  and  I  shan't  say  any- 
thing more  to  you  anyhow,  for  I,  too,  am  a  re- 
volted aunt! "  She  took  her  wine  glass  and 
touched  with  Arnulf  Rau.  "  Prosit,  my  dear  sir, 
that  was  very  cleverly  put." 

"Don't  you  belong  to  our  association?"  the 
handsome  Arnulf  inquired  after  a  few  moments, 
during  which  he  had  not  touched  his  lobster  but 
had  occupied  himself  by  devouring  his  pretty 
neighbor  with  admiring  glances. 

"  What  sort  of  an  association  is  it?  " 
"  The  celebrated  Society  for  the  Evolution  of 
the  Feminine  Psyche.  I  say  our  association,  for 
my  wife  is  an  ardent  member.  I  have  often  lec- 
tured to  the  ladies  myself.  They  meet  once  a 
week  at  Eckel's  to  exchange  mental  impressions. 
Very  interesting  discussions  often  follow  the  lec- 
ture. The  ladies  do  practical  work  as  well,  in 
the  influencing  of  public  opinion,  through  the  giv- 
ing of  legal  advice,  and  in  obtaining  the  better 
sort  of  positions  for  educated  women  and  girls. 
Miss  Echdeler,  a  most  sympathetic  personality,  is 
our  president,  and  among  the  other  prominent 
members  are  Dr.  Babette  Girel,  Baroness  Grot- 


THE     THIRD     SEX  165 

zinger,  Mrs.  von  Stummer,  Miss  Hildegard 
Haider,  and  others  equally  well  known.  You 
must  certainly  know  the  one  or  the  other  of  the 
ladies." 

"  No,  I  don't  know  them  —  that  is,  I  have 
probably  heard  the  names,"  answered  Lilly. 
"  The  fact  is,  I  know  scarcely  any  ladies,  any  real 
ladies,  I  mean.  I  am  afraid  of  them,  I  think; 
anyway,  I  am  always  so  embarrassed  when  with 
them.  It's  funny,  I  really  hate  men,  they  are  so 
often  silly,  and  yet  I  can  be  happy  only  with  them. 
When  I  am  with  other  women  I  feel  they  are  re- 
garding me  with  distrust;  they  all  seem  to  retreat 
behind  a  sort  of  fence  when  they  see  me.  A 
young  woman  who  is  fighting  for  her  divorce,  who 
is  alone  in  the  world,  and  whom  men  call  pretty, 
is  considered  an  object  of  suspicion  by  all  ladies 
belonging  to  good  .society." 

44  That  is  unfortunately  very  true,"  remarked 
the  Prince. 

44  Isn't  it?  "  she  turned  to  him  eagerly.  "  Just 
imagine,  I  have  never  had  a  real  woman  friend, 
at  least  one  whose  friendship  lasted  longer  than 
until  some  man  appeared.  He  invariably  looked 
at  me  first,  and  then  my  dear  friend  would  turn 
from  me  offended.  It  is  the  women  who  force  us 
to  take  up  with  you,  gentlemen,  and  yet  I  really 


i66  THE    THIRD    SEX 

do  hate  you  —  I  hate  you  bitterly."  She  turned 
suddenly  ghastly  pale,  leaned  back  in  her  chair, 
and  her  lips  trembled  convulsively.  The  men 
looked  at  each  other  helplessly.  The  Prince 
arose,  stepped  behind  her  chair,  touched  her 
shoulder  lightly,  and  whispered :  "  What  is  the 
matter,  Lilly  dear?  Aren't  you  well?  " 

She  started  and  asked  for  a  glass  of  water. 
The  Prince  poured  it  out  and  she  drank  thirstily. 
Then  her  glance  fell  on  the  young  painter  sitting 
opposite  her,  and  she  called  to  him  with  frowning 
brows  and  in  forced  loudness :  "  Why  don't  you 
talk,  Rudolfi?  Say  something  funny."  And 
turning  to  the  others  she  continued  smiling,  "  Mr. 
Rudolfi  suffers  from  hay  fever  in  the  warm 
months,  otherwise  he's  so  nice,  really  dear.  Ru- 
dolfichen,  show  how  dear  you  can  be." 

"  With  pleasure,"  answered  the  young  man  with 
the  William  II  mustache,  and  then  sneezed  heart- 
ily, whereupon  he  took  out  his  handkerchief  and 
blew  his  nose  with  much  ceremony. 

Lilly  burst  into  a  wild  fit  of  laughter,  and  the 
other  guests  endeavored  to  join  her  mirth  to  cover 
up  the  unpleasant  contretemps.  The  Prince  had 
seen  the  strange  seizures  that  attacked  Lilly  von 
Robiceck  occasionally,  and  he  knew  from  experi- 
ence that  it  was  best  to  leave  her  to  herself  as 


THE    THIRD    SEX  167 

much  as  possible.  He  began  a  conversation  with 
Mr.  von  Lossow,  in  which  Rudolfi  with  the  hay 
fever  soon  joined.  The  simple  story  of  their 
young  lives  was  quickly  told.  Lossow's  case  was 
the  most  interesting.  From  his  childhood  the 
young  man  had  had  a  strong  inclination  for  the 
study  of  music,  but  his  family  protested  vigor- 
ously against  his  wish  to  prepare  himself  pro- 
fessionally for  the  career  of  an  orchestra  leader 
and  composer.  At  the  age  of  fourteen  they  had 
even  forbidden  him  to  take  piano  lessons.  He 
had  gone  through  the  High  School,  had  studied 
law  during  two  university  terms,  then  finally  his 
so  wise  parents  had  permitted  him  to  follow  his 
longing  for  an  artistic  career,  on  the  condition 
that  he  enter  the  school  of  painting  in  Munich. 
They  considered  painting  not  quite  unworthy  a 
nobleman,  as  among  the  painters  there  were  such 
names  as  Count  Kalkreuth,  Count  Harrach, 
Baron  von  Kameke  and  Anton  von  Werner. 
While  music  had  only  Mr.  von  Biilow  to  show  of 
noble  lineage,  and  his  moral  views  and  political 
opinions  were  not  above  reproach. 

"Oh,  ye  gods!"  sighed  the  Prince.  "Will 
these  fossils  in  our  class  ever  die  out?  You  are 
much  to  be  envied,  Baron  Kerkhove !  " 

"I?     Do  you  really  think  so?"  said  Raoul, 


i68  THE     THIRD     SEX 

somewhat  embarrassed,  for  the  Prince  had  caught 
him  throwing  adoring  glances  at  charming  little 
Mrs.  von  Robiceck. 

"  You  are  indeed  I  "  replied  the  Prince,  "  for 
your  father  died  in  Siberia,  and  it  is  not  the  slav- 
ish souls  that  die  there.  And  then,  if  one  is  a 
nephew  of  Prince  Krapotkin!  " 

"Your  Highness  knows?" 

"  Why,  of  course,  you  told  me  yourself,  I 
think." 

Lilly  von  Robiceck  suddenly  drew  attention  to 
herself  again  by  a  little  scream  and  the  angry  ex- 
clamation :  "  Please  stop  that  I  "  which  she  ac- 
companied by  throwing  a  piece  of  bread  at  the 
handsome  Arnulf  Rau. 

"  Why,  fairest  Madame  I  "  nasaled  Count  Rim- 
sky,  "  qu'est  ce  grfil-y-a  done?  " 

"  This  gentleman  is  endeavoring  to  press  my 
foot  under  the  table,"  cried  Lilly,  maliciously. 
"  But  I  will  not  let  myself  be  trampled  under  foot 
that  way."  Then  she  suddenly  changed  her  tone 
to  a  merry  twittering,  and,  pointing  the  tip  of  her 
fork  at  the  culprit's  nose,  she  asked  him :  "  Who 
are  you  anyway,  sir?  I  have  forgotten  your 
name." 

"Arnulf  Rau,"  he  said,  offended  by  her  be- 


THE     THIRD     SEX  169 

havior.  "  I  hope  to  give  you  opportunity  to  be- 
come better  acquainted  with  that  name." 

"  I  hope  so,  too,"  she  replied  pertly.  "  Any- 
how, I'll  take  you  at  your  word.  Will  you  have 
the  kindness  to  introduce  me  to  your  association 
with  the  crazy  name  —  what  was  it?  Restaura- 
tion  de  la  Clique  Femininist?" 

11  Ha,  ha  I  Eckel  ought  to  write  that  on  his 
door,"  laughed  the  great  Arnulf. 

"  Yes,  if  he  wants  to  get  rid  of  all  his  patrons," 
joked  the  Count,  but  Lilly  answered  promptly: 
"  I  allow  no  jokes  on  the  subject  of  the  higher 
aims  of  womankind  in  my  presence,  remember 
that,  Count."  And  turning  to  Arnulf:  "Then 
you  will  introduce  me  into  this  society?  May  I 
have  the  pleasure  of  calling  on  your  wife?  I  will 
tell  her  that  you  pressed  me  to  join." 

The  pretty  bon  mot  was  properly  applauded, 
and  the  air  cleared  again,  as  Lilly  seemed  to  have 
passed  safely  through  her  attack.  Meanwhile  the 
menu  neared  its  conclusion,  the  roasts  were  taken 
away,  and  Luigi  brought  the  ices.  The  cham- 
pagne corks  popped,  and  then  Count  Rimsky  re- 
membered the  reason  for  the  festivity,  and  whis- 
pered Lilly  that  she  must  make  a  speech.  She 
protested,  and  consented  only  when  the  Count  and 


170          THE    THIRD    SEX 

Arnulf  Rau  both  promised  to  act  as  prompters. 
Then  she  touched  her  glass  with  her  knife  and 
rose. 

"  Honored  members  of  the  first  sex,  and  fel- 
low human  beings!  If  you  will  permit  me  to 
take  advantage  of  the  right  your  amiability  gives 
so  freely  to  my  sex,  the  right,  namely,  to  say  as 
many  foolish  things  as  possible,  I  will  make  a  lit- 
tle speech,  the  first  I  have  ever  attempted." 

"  My  virgin  speech,"  prompted  the  Count  be- 
hind his  hand. 

"  No  racy  jokes  allowed,  Count!  "  Then  she 
turned  to  Arnulf  Rau  and  whispered :  "  Some 
brilliancy  quick,  please !  " 

The  handsome  man  started  and  rubbed  his  head. 
Lilly  shrugged  her  shoulders  in  pity  and  sighed 
drolly:  "There  you  have  a  new  proof  of  the 
difference  in  the  sexes  — 

"  Women  can  always  find  something  to  say, 
You  have  to  first  rub  the  thoughts  away !  " 

The  Prince  giggled,  Raoul  de  Kerkhove  ex- 
claimed "  Bravo !  "  enthusiastically,  and  Werner 
Rudolfi  raised  his  champagne  glass  with  a  hoarse 
cry  of  applause. 

Lilly  continued:  "  Our  honored  host  celebrates 
his  thirtieth  birthday  to-day.  Gentlemen,  that  is 


THE   THIRD   SEX        171 

more  than  many  of  us  can  do  —  for  instance,  you 
will  have  to  wait  a  good  long  time  before  you 
catch  me  inviting  you  to  celebrate  my  thirtieth 
birthday." 

The  Prince  was  so  amused  by  this  joke  that  he 
fell  into  a  fit  of  coughing,  whereat  Werner  Ru- 
dolfi  held  out  his  glass  with  a  sympathetic 
"  Prosit." 

"  Our  honored  friend  has  indeed  made  good 
use  of  his  life.  What  artist  does  not  feel  his 
heart  beat  quicker  to  look  upon  a  man  who  has 
been  an  army  lieutenant  and  yet  buys  pictures, 
in  spite  of  the  fact  that  he  paints  some  himself; 
a  man  who  is  really  interested  in  music,  although 
he  makes  some  himself;  a  man  who  assists  poets 
and  would  prefer  not  to  write  his  own  poems  at 
all?  Gentlemen,  a  man  with  such  a  spotless  past 
can  have  only  the  most  glorious  future  before 
him!  Yes,  Prince,  you  have  a  great  and  noble 
task  still  to  do.  Just  think  how  many  people  there 
are  who  have  not  yet  borrowed  money  of  you; 
how  many  pictures  there  are  which  you  have  not 
yet  bought,  and  how  many  geniuses  are  waiting 
for  you  to  discover  them.  But  I,  Prince,  as  a 
woman  of  the  Third  Sex,  I  owe  you  especial  and 
particular  thanks;  for  of  all  the  men  who  have 
sworn  friendship  for  me  you  are  the  only  one 


172  THE    THIRD    SEX 

who  has  never  said :  '  I  love  you.'  For  this  rea- 
son I  feel  that  I  should  be  the  first  to  say :  *  Long 
life  to  our  dear  and  revered  friend,  Prince  Clop- 
penburg-Usingen.' " 

The  company  rose,  glasses  touched,  the  Prince 
received  congratulations,  and  Lilly  much  praise 
for  her  fine  first  effort.  She  was  proud  of  it,  and 
scoffed  at  her  two  prompters,  who  had  been  of 
so  little  use.  Arnulf  Rau  drowned  his  irritation 
in  much  champagne,  and  neither  threats  nor  blows 
with  the  fan  could  deter  the  Count  from  telling  a 
number  of  rather  equivocal  stories.  The  eyes  of 
the  younger  men  shone  in  moist  brightness;  Ru- 
dolfi's  because  of  his  hay  fever,  the  others'  be- 
cause of  their  admiration  for  charming  little  Mrs. 
von  Robiceck. 

The  meal  over,  they  went  into  the  drawing- 
room  and  smoked,  while  the  Prince  brewed  the 
favorite  champagne  punch,  yclept  a  "  cold  duck," 
before  the  eyes  of  his  guests.  The  conversation 
turned  upon  literature,  and  a  long  line  of  new 
names  came  up,  each  of  which  received  an  en- 
thusiastic acknowledgment  from  some  one  of  the 
company,  while  all  of  them  were  crushed  down 
and  drowned  under  the  waves  of  Arnulf  Rau's 
pitiless  criticism.  The  Prince  took  from  his  desk 
a  queer  little  volume  in  odd  shape  with  a  sym- 


THE     THIRD     SEX  173 

holistic  cover-drawing  on  gray  paper,  turned  the 
leaves,  and  then  handed  it,  thus  opened,  to  Arnulf 
Rau. 

"  You  have  a  good  voice,  stern  critic,  please 
read  this  to  us." 

"  How  can  I  read  that  —  there  are  no  punc- 
tuation marks?"  said  Arnulf,  and  then  with  a 
mocking  smile  at  the  title  page,  "  Ah,  Stefan 
George." 

"  Smile  afterwards,  if  you  want  to,"  said  the 
Prince  gravely.  "  I  have  written  this  gentleman 
that  I  love  him,  although  there  is  much  I  cannot 
understand;  look  it  through,  please,  and  then  read 
it." 

The  handsome  man  withdrew  with  the  book  to 
the  neighborhood  of  a  lamp,  and  studied  the  text 
with  creased  brows.  After  about  five  minutes  he 
announced  that  he  was  ready,  and  then  read  the 
following  poem  with  good  delivery  and  softly 
modulated  voice : 

As  thou  drinkest  the  milk  of  thy  mother, 
There  watches  an  envious  fairy 
Singing  of  shadow  and  death. 
She  gives  thee  as  christening  gift 
Strange  eyes  prophetic  of  sorrow, 
Eyes  where  the  muses  are  hiding. 


174  THE     THIRD     SEX 

Scorn  wilt  thou  feel  of  the  rough  play 
Pleasing  thy  duller  comrades. 
Toil  that  makes  sordid  the  soul, 
From  thoughts  austere  and  sublime 
Shall  warn  thee  and  hinder. 

When  thy  brothers  complain  and  cry  — 

O  grief!  thy  secret  pain 

Tell  to  the  winds  in  the  lone  night 

And  under  the  rasp  of  thy  nails 

Let  bleed  thy  childish  breast. 

Do  not  forget:     Thou  must  kill 

Thy  sweet  and  tender  youth. 

Only  upon  its  lone  grave 

When  wet  with  tears  —  Oh,  many,  many 

tears  —  shall  grow 
From  rarely  marvelous  green 
Rarely  beautiful  roses. 

No  one  spoke,  and  after  a  moment  the  Prince 
looked  a  challenge  at  Arnulf  Rau,  "  Well?  " 

"  If  it  chance  upon  the  proper  mood,"  re- 
sponded the  latter,  "  it  might  win  a  sudden  con- 
soling beauty,  that  I  acknowledge." 

"  I  should  think  that  were  about  all  one  could 
ask  of  any  poem,"  smiled  the  Prince. 

Arnulf  Rau  shrugged  his  shoulders.  "  If  that 
is  your  Highness'  opinion.  7  find  little  to  attract 
me  in  this  riddle-giving,  or  in  this  weary  '  world- 


THE     THIRD     SEX  175 

melancholy.'  I  do  not  by  any  means  believe  that 
all  art  should  be  made  for  the  man  in  the  street, 
but  art  should  not  be  sought  in  its  difficulties 
alone." 

The  Prince  glanced  about  in  the  little  circle  as 
if  to  ask  for  further  opinions.  Count  Rimsky  did 
not  look  promising,  his  mouth  was  open  and  he 
pretended  to  be  forming  smoke-rings  to  conceal 
his  yawns.  Werner  Rudolfi  gazed  up  at  the  ceil- 
ing with  moist  eyes,  as  if  hypnotised  by  the  gar- 
lands of  fruit  painted  there,  and  Raoul  de  Kerk- 
hove  looked  as  if  his  shoes  were  hurting  him. 
Mrs.  von  Robiceck  sat  on  the  divan  and  smoked, 
with  her  elbows  on  her  knees  and  her  head  in  her 
hands;  she  was  dreaming  open-eyed,  and  the  con- 
vulsive twitching  of  mouth  and  nostrils  which  al- 
ways preceded  her  attacks  of  nerves  was  again  no- 
ticeable. Joachim  von  Lossow  sat  on  another 
corner  of  the  same  divan,  clasping  and  unclasp- 
ing his  fingers  nervously,  and  trying  to  catch  the 
end  of  his  little  mustache  between  his  teeth.  His 
eyes  flamed  with  suppressed  passion. 

"  Will  you  not  play  something  for  us,  Mr.  von 
Lossow?"  asked  the  Prince. 

The  young  man  rose,  stepped  to  the  grand 
piano,  and  threw  back  the  top  without  a  word. 
Then  he  sat  down,  thought  a  few  moments  and 


176  THE     THIRD     SEX 

spoke  at  last,  in  so  low  a  tone  that  not  all  of  those 
present  could  hear  him :  "  I  will  try  to  play  that 
poem  for  you." 

"  Yes,  yes,"  breathed  Lilly.  She  threw  away 
her  cigarette,  drew  up  her  feet  and  stretched  her- 
self at  full  length  on  the  divan,  her  arms  crossed 
under  her  head. 

Joachim  von  Lossow  began  to  touch  the  keys 
softly,  in  floating,  seeking  chords.  Then  a  mel- 
ody appeared,  gradually  growing,  a  wondrously 
sad,  monotonous  melody,  like  a  cradle  song  at 
twilight.  But  the  melody  grew  and  grew,  it 
gained  shape  and  form,  became  heavy  and  preg- 
nant with  Fate,  carried  on  the  wings  of  strange 
harmonies,  until  it  broke  off  suddenly;  and  after 
a  mightily  swelling  tremolo,  came  an  allegro  of 
brave  defiance,  in  which  noisy  trumpets  and  tram- 
pling bass  figures  fought  against  a  rising  song  of 
calm  strength  and  greatness.  The  struggle  died 
away,  the  minor  melody  came  again,  this  time  in 
richer  form,  singing  the  controlled  sorrow  of  a 
noble  heart,  and  the  fantasy  closed  in  a  mystic 
apotheosis,  full  of  the  spirit  of  Lizst. 

All  the  listeners,  even  the  quite  unmusical 
Raoul,  were  under  the  spell  of  this  revelation  of 
a  marvelously  gifted  artist's  soul,  and  none  dared 
to  break  the  charm  by  everyday  words  of  praise. 


THE     THIRD     SEX  177 

The  young  musician  turned  on  his  chair,  and 
bowed  slightly  to  the  Prince. 

"  Marvelous!  "  cried  the  latter  softly.  "How 
did  you  understand  it?  I  thank  you  from  my 
heart,  Mr.  von  Lossow." 

And  he  pressed  the  hand  of  the  embarrassed 
young  Mecklenburger,  who  rose  to  return  to  his 
former  seat.  Mrs.  von  Robiceck  pulled  up  her 
feet  to  make  a  place  for  him,  and  he  saw  that  her 
eyes  shone  with  tears. 

"  You  have  been  .  crying,  Lilly?  "  he  asked, 
breathing  quickly,  while  his  eyes  gleamed  in  hap- 
piness. 

"  It  was  so  beautiful,"  she  said  simply,  and  held 
out  her  hands  to  him. 

He  bent  to  kiss  them,  but  Lilly  was  quicker 
than  he  —  she  clasped  his  finger  tips  firmly,  drew 
his  hands  toward  her  mouth  and  kissed  them  both. 

Lossow  blushed  deeply.  When  she  released 
his  hands  he  stood  nervously  clasping  them,  then 
stepped  to  one  side  and  stared  at  a  picture  on 
the  nearest  wall. 

Werner  Rudolfi  had  witnessed  the  little  scene 
and  had  also  observed  that  Mrs.  von  Robiceck 
was  deadly  pale.  He  rose  quickly  and  came  to 
her  side.  "Anything  the  matter,  Lilly?  Did 
the  music  touch  you  so  ?  " 


178  THE     THIRD     SEX 

She  clutched  at  his  coat  and  drew  herself  up 
by  it  painfully.  "  I  feel  so  miserable,"  she 
moaned  low. 

"Shall  I  take  you  home?" 

She  shook  her  head.  The  Prince  came  up  also, 
with  anxious  questions  whether  he  had  not  bet- 
ter send  for  a  carriage.  She  protested  wildly. 
"  Oh,  no,  no !  leave  me  here.  I  don't  want  to  go 
home.  What  shall  I  do  there?  the  night  is  so 
long!  let's  be  merry.  Baron  von  Kerkhove,  play 
the  flute  for  us,  or  amuse  us  somehow." 

Raoul  drew  up  his  shoulders  and  answered 
humbly:  "  I  am  so  sorry,  but  I  really  can't  play 
the  flute." 

"What  can  you  do?" 

"  Nothing,  I  regret  to  say,  nothing  —  but  ad- 
mire you." 

Lilly  laughed  harshly.  "  Don't  tell  your  uncle 
that,  or  he'll  not  let  you  have  two  kopeks'  worth 
of  dynamite.  Play  something  more,  Mr.  von 
Lossow." 

The  young  man  sat  down  at  the  piano  again, 
and  improvised  on  motives  from  the  Nibelungen 
Ring  for  about  half  an  hour. 

During  the  playing  one  or  the  other  of  the 
guests  stood  up  to  change  his  place,  and  here  and 
there  a  low  conversation  was  carried  on.  Arnulf 


THE     THIRD     SEX  179 

Rau  worked  himself  carefully  over  to  the  divan 
and  began  to  whisper  flatteries  to  charming  little 
Mrs.  von  Robiceck,  with  no  other  result  than  a 
silent  but  decided  rebuff.  The  handsome  man 
was  angry.  He  had  not  been  able  to  make  him- 
self important  the  whole  evening,  and  this  obsti- 
nate little  woman  excited  him  astonishingly.  She 
was  a  genius,  born  to  be  a  poet's  love,  why  should 
not  this  flower  bloom  for  him?  She  would  be 
the  first  to  withstand  him  in  the  long  run.  So  he 
would  not  take  the  rebuff,  and  continued  to  whis- 
per charming  words  in  her  little  white  ear.  Lilly 
von  Robiceck  rose  finally,  and  sat  down  at  the 
piano  immediately  behind  Joachim  von  Lossow. 
When  he  had  finished  playing,  the  talk  became 
loud  and  general. 

Count  Rimsky  took  his  reward  for  his  long  en- 
forced silence  by  telling  all  manner  of  court  and 
society  anecdotes,  falling  into  French  when  they 
became  too  racy.  Lilly  paid  little  attention,  for 
she  didn't  know  French.  She  took  Mr.  von  Los- 
sow's  arm  and  led  him  into  the  dining-room,  which 
had  been  put  in  order. 

"  You  never  played  so  well,"  she  said,  suddenly 
laying  her  hand  on  the  young  man's  arm.  "  Your 
music  comes  directly  from  your  soul  —  have  you 
loved  much?  " 


180  THE     THIRD     SEX 

"  Oh,  yes,"  he  smiled  in  embarrassment. 

"As  men  love?" 

"  No,  as  stupid  boys  love." 

"  You  are  a  darling!  "  She  tried  to  laugh,  but 
without  success,  and  her  white  face  drew  into  rigid- 
ity again,  as  she  said  suddenly:  "  Do  you  know 
what  I  would  like  to  do  now?  " 

"Well?" 

"  Shoot  myself  —  but  I  am  too  cowardly  — 
won't  you  help  me?  " 

He  shook  his  head  and  laughed  as  if  he  thought 
she  were  joking.  "  Nonsense,  Lilly,  why  do  you 
say  such  foolish  things?  You  only  excite  your- 
self unnecessarily.  Go  into  the  country  for  a 
while  and  drink  warm  milk,  fresh  from  the 
cow." 

"Fie  on  you!"  said  Lilly,  and  stepped  away 
from  him  to  the  heavily  curtained  window.  She 
played  nervously  with  a  tassel,  then  broke  out 
into  a  passionate  whispering:  "  It  is  not  nice  of 
you  to  make  fun  of  me.  Do  you  know  what  a 
miserable  life  I  lead?  Well,  perhaps  you  are 
right,  I  am  not  worth  anything  better,  I  have 
flirted  with  you,  too.  Your  music  drove  me  mad, 
music  always  affects  me  strangely  —  and  now  I  am 
crazy  to  hear  you  stammer  love  to  me,  as  all  the 
others  do.  I  am  angry  at  you  because  you  arc 


THE    THIRD    SEX  181 

so  respectable  and  reserved,  I  want  you  to  be  like 
all  the  others  —  just  that  I  may  enjoy  the  tri- 
umph, you  understand.  I  could  throw  myself  on 
your  neck  to-night  in  ecstasy,  and  treat  you  like 
a  dog  to-morrow.  Wouldn't  it  attract  you  to  de- 
stroy a  creature  like  me?  My  beautiful  eyes  are 
worth  at  least  one  charge  of  powder,  I  should 
think." 

He  came  to  her  side  and  stroked  her  hair: 
"  Don't  make  yourself  out  as  bad  as  that;  it  is 
not  true  at  all.  You  are  ill.  Wait  until  you  can 
live  an  ordered  life  again,  when  you  have  your 
divorce." 

"  Ah,  don't  remind  me  of  that.  To-morrow  I 
must  go  to  the  priest  and  formally  relinquish  my 
Catholic  belief,  otherwise  I  cannot  get  the  divorce. 
Then  I  am  a  heathen,  and  the  devil  can  have  his 
sport  with  me."  She  laughed  nervously. 

"  Lilly,  dear,  don't  excite  yourself  so.  There 
are  many  who  really  care  for  you  and  would 
gladly  help  you.  I  know  of  one  who  would  be  so 
happy  if  you  would  only  marry  him," 

"Indeed!     Who  2" 

"  Rudolfi." 

«'  Oh,  he  has  hay  fever." 

The  young  man  was  angry.  "  When  you  are 
like  that  I  can't  talk  to  you.  He  loves  you  so 


i&2          THE    THIRD    SEX 

honestly,  and  you  have  told  him  that  you  like 
him." 

"  Why,  yes,"  answered  Lilly.  "  How  could  I 
do  otherwise,  he  is  so  good?  He  ought  to  go 
and  marry  a  respectable  girl  with  some 
money." 

He  stroked  her  hair  again.  "  I  never  saw  you 
like  this  before,  what  is  the  matter?  Please  be 
good  again,  Lilly." 

She  drew  away  from  him  petulantly:  "Stop 
that  rubbing,  it  makes  me  nervous." 

"  You  are  nervous.  Get  out  into  the  country, 
and  grow  strong  and  well  again." 

"  Oh,  I'm  strong  enough,"  she  cried  and 
stretched  out  her  arms.  Then  she  stooped  sud- 
denly, caught  the  slender  youth  below  the  knees 
and  raised  him  from  the  floor.  "  There  I  "  she 
panted,  and  letting  him  drop  again,  ran  back  into 
the  drawing-room,  clapped  her  hands  and  cried: 
"  Lilly  wants  to  dance." 

This  was  easier  said  than  done,  for  the  rooms 
were  not  large  and  were  filled  with  furniture.  The 
Prince  explained  the  impossibility  to  her,  and  then 
she  declared  that  she  wished  to  go  to  the  Amer- 
ican Bar. 

"  Your  wishes  are  a  law  unto  me,"  said  the 
Prince  gallantly,  although  he  did  not  in  the  leaf* 


THE    THIRD    SEX  183 

care  to  go  elsewhere  to  drink,  and  leave  the 
greater  part  of  his  punch  to  Luigi. 

So  the  company  set  out  for  the  pretty  cellar 
room  in  the  Four  Seasons  Hotel,  where  the  bet- 
ter circles  of  society  and  the  art  world  meet  in 
nightly  rendezvous.  It  was  already  one  o'clock, 
but  little  Mrs.  von  Robiceck  did  not  seem  to  know 
what  fatigue  was.  She  sampled  several  drinks, 
none  of  which  met  her  approval,  nibbled  cakes, 
and  became  more  and  more  excited,  behaving  in 
a  way  that  drew  general  attention. 

The  Prince  was  embarrassed  by  her  conduct, 
so  he  pleaded  a  headache  and  withdrew,  soon  fol- 
lowed by  Arnulf  Rau,  the  latter  angry  because 
this  good-for-nothing  little  woman  had  so  studi- 
ously ignored  him  the  entire  evening.  Count 
Rimsky  joined  a  party  at  another  table,  where 
sat  a  good  friend  from  whom  he  could  hope  for 
more  affection  than  from  this  capricious  little 
Robiceck. 

Lilly  remained  alone  with  the  three  younger 
men,  whom  she  kept  there  until  three  o'clock. 
Then,  at  last,  she  let  herself  be  persuaded  to  give 
the  waiters  their  needed  rest.  There  were  no 
cabs  at  that  hour,  and  they  had  to  walk  the  long 
distance  to  the  Beethovenstrasse.  She  took  the 
arms  of  Rudolfi  and  Lossow  and  started  out  at  a 


184  THE     THIRD     SEX 

brisk  gait,  while  Baron  de  Kerkhove  trotted  si- 
lently behind  them.  Lilly  tried  to  induce  her  two 
young  friends  to  play  all  sorts  of  wild  pranks. 
She  commanded  them  to  climb  up  the  fire  escape 
of  the  Court  theater,  to  put  out  the  street  lamps, 
to  sing  the  Marseillaise,  and  more  of  the  like. 
But  they  were  both  too  well  brought  up  to  give 
way  to  her  wild  mood,  so  she  finally  became  angry 
and  dismissed  them  at  the  Karlsthor,  of  which 
they  were  heartily  glad,  as  they  both  lived  in  the 
northern  part  of  the  city.  She  told  Baron  von 
Kerkhove  that  she  needed  no  escort  and  was  going 
home  alone,  and  thereupon  started  off  at  such  a 
gait  that  the  little  man  had  hard  work  to  keep 
up  with  her.  But  he  managed  to  be  at  her  heels 
when  she  reached  her  own  door. 

She  halted  there,  panting,  dropped  him  a  mock- 
ing courtesy  and  said:  "  Thanks  for  accompany- 
ing me.  Now  you  know  where  I  live  when  you 
want  to  send  me  the  money  for  the  picture." 

Raoul  de  Kerkhove  did  not  answer.  He  drew 
a  key  from  his  pocket  and  opened  the  court  door, 
motioning  her  to  enter. 

"  Thanks,"  she  said,  and  walked  in  unsuspect- 
ingly. He  followed  and  closed  the  door  gently. 
As  they  stood  together  in  the  dark,  Lilly  screamed 
suddenly  and  asked  with  trembling  voice: 


THE    THIRD    SEX  185 

"What  does  this  mean?  What  do  you  want? 
Did  I  give  you  my  key?  "  She  felt  in  her  pocket, 
drawing  out  the  key  and  some  wax  matches. 
"  Where  did  you  get  that  key?  "  she  stammered 
again,  in  deadly  terror. 

"  I  live  here,"  he  answered  low,  and  she  felt 
his  breath  in  her  face. 

"  That's  not  true  1  you  are  a  scoundrel  I  I'll 
scream  if  you  dare  touch  me." 

"  If  you  scream  I  will  shoot  myself  before  your 
eyes,"  she  heard  his  trembling  voice  whisper. 
"  Forgive  me,  I  cannot  help  it,  I  love  you  madly. 
This  afternoon  when  you  were  out  I  rented  the 
room  next  to  yours  —  my  things  were  brought 
over  this  evening.  Please  calm  yourself,  I  would 
not  hurt  you  for  the  world  —  ah,  I  love  you  so." 

Lilly  finally  managed  to  light  a  match  in  spite 
of  the  trembling  of  her  hands.  She  saw  the  mad- 
dened man  standing  before  her,  his  arms  stretched 
out  as  for  an  embrace,  a  shining  revolver  held 
firmly  in  his  right  hand. 

"  You  are  mad,"  whispered  Lilly,  achieving  a 
short  laugh  with  difficulty.  "  Open  the  door,  I'll 
hold  the  light." 

He  did  as  she  ordered,  took  out  his  other  key 
and  opened  the  door  of  the  apartment. 

She  summoned  all  her  courage,  and  walked  past 


i86          THE    THIRD    SEX 

him  into  the  narrow  hall.  But  he  did  not  even 
take  time  to  close  the  door,  fearing  she  would 
escape  into  her  room  and  lock  him  out.  When 
she  heard  his  steps  behind  her,  she  halted  and 
turned  to  him  with  an  alluring  glance :  "  Please 
shut  the  door,  and  put  up  the  chain,"  she  whis- 
pered low. 

He  hesitated  a  second,  and  she  opened  her  eyes 
wide,  something  flaming  up  in  them  that  forced 
him  to  obey  her.  He  turned  to  the  door  and 
closed  it,  then  wheeled  again  and  saw  her  cross 
the  threshold  of  her  own  room.  In  three  bounds 
he  was  at  her  side,  and  before  she  could  close 
the  door  he  pushed  it  open  with  all  his  strength. 
He  stood  there  in  her  room,  his  breath  coming  in 
quick  gasps,  and  the  beautiful  young  woman  trem- 
bling and  quivering  scarce  an  arm's  length  from 
him. 

"  I  cannot  leave  you,"  he  stammered  in  mad 
passion,  and  yet  did  not  dare  to  touch  her.  The 
cool  night  wind  came  in  at  the  open  window,  blow- 
ing out  the  curtains.  Her  tiny  candle  flickered, 
her  mouth  was  open,  her  lips  quivering,  and  her 
eyes  stood  wide  in  fear. 

Suddenly  she  blew  out  the  light,  and  gave  a 
wild  spring  in  through  the  open  bedroom  door. 
He  sprang  after  her,  but  could  not  find  the  kncfb 


THE    THIRD    SEX  187 

in  the  darkness,  and  while  his  hand  sought  it  he 
heard  the  bolt  snap  into  place.  In  impotent  rage 
he  pressed  his  shoulder  to  the  door,  and  whis- 
pered :  "  Open  the  door,  Lilly,  open  the  door,  I 
want  only  a  word  with  you." 

She  whispered  from  the  other  side  in  answer: 
"  Leave  my  room  at  once  or  I  will  alarm  the 
house.  I  have  my  finger  on  the  bell." 

Then  he  gave  it  up,  stepped  back  from  the  door, 
put  his  revolver  in  his  pocket  and  wiped  the  per- 
spiration from  his  forehead.  He  took  out  a 
match  and  lit  it,  looking  about  in  the  little  room. 
He  drew  his  hand  absently  over  the  back  of  a 
chair  and  across  the  table  cover.  On  the  table 
lay  a  large  white  paper  on  which  was  written  in 
heavy  letters 

Lilly  von  Robiceck 
Modes  et  Robes. 

The  penciled  letters  were  drawn  over  in  ink. 
His  match  went  out  and  he  lit  another,  holding 
it  up  to  the  walls,  and  over  the  desk.  Here  lay 
a  portfolio,  books  and  papers  in  confusion,  with 
knickknacks  and  many  photographs.  Among  these 
he  discovered  Lilly's  head  and  bust,  the  neck  and 
shoulders  bared,  and  draped  slightly  with  a  white 
scarf.  He  took  the  picture  from  its  little  easel, 


i88  THE     THIRD     SEX 

and  pressed  it  to  his  lips.  The  match  went  out 
and  he  lit  a  third,  then  crept  to  the  door,  and  felt 
his  way  cautiously  to  his  own  room  with  his  booty. 

Lilly  sat  the  while  on  the  edge  of  her  bed,  lis- 
tening to  the  gentle  sounds  from  the  other  room. 
She  had  good  ears,  and  could  hear  plainly  when 
he  closed  the  door  behind  him  and  crept  along 
the  hall.  Then  she  drew  a  deep  breath  and 
crossed  herself.  She  lit  the  candle  at  her  bed- 
side, shut  the  window  and  bolted  the  shutters. 
Here  at  last  she  felt  safe,  and  the  fearful  tension 
of  her  nerves,  which  had  hung  over  her  for  many 
hours,  broke  in  a  fit  of  convulsive  weeping.  She 
lay  on  her  knees  at  the  bedside,  burying  her  face 
in  the  clothes,  tearing  at  pillows  and  coverlet  with 
both  hands.  She  did  not  rise  until  her  knees  be- 
gan to  ache,  and  then  she  undressed  slowly.  As 
she  laid  her  watch  on  the  table  she  saw  that  it 
was  past  five  o'clock,  and  the  dawn  was  creeping 
through  the  cracks  of  the  shutters. 

Just  as  she  was  stepping  into  bed  her  eyes  fell 
on  a  crucifix,  in  ivory  on  black  wood,  which  hung 
at  the  head  of  the  bed.  She  took  it  down  and 
kissed  the  cold  body  of  the  Saviour. 

"  In  farewell,"  she  said  with  a  sad  smile, 
stretching  herself  in  bed,  and  putting  out  the  can- 
dle, but  still  holding  the  crucifix  in  her  hand.  She 


THE     THIRD     SEX  189 

turned  over  on  one  side,  pressing  it  to  her  breast 
—  she  wanted  to  go  to  sleep  with  it,  like  a  child 
with  her  doll.  The  Saviour  should  protect  her 
from  all  evil  spirits  this  one  last  night,  for  the 
next  day  she  had  to  go  to  the  priest  and  bid  fare- 
well to  the  church  that  was  built  up  on  this  symbol 
of  world-redeeming  suffering. 

But  before  going  to  the  priest,  she  called  at  the 
studio  of  her  friend  Werner  Rudolfi  about  noon 
next  day,  and  the  good  fellow  was  so  shocked  by 
her  looks  that  he  begged  her  to  leave  town  and 
take  a  trip  into  the  mountains  with  him.  He 
could  get  rid  of  his  hay  fever  there,  and  she  should 
learn  to  renew  belief,  not  in  the  teachings  of  the 
priest,  but  simply  in  the  possibility  of  good  in  the 
human  heart,  and  in  the  pure  beauty  of  that  strong 
impulse  by  which  Nature  renews  herself  from 
eternity  to  eternity. 

Rudolfi  went  home  with  her,  and  helped  her 
pack  a  little  trunk.  Raoul  de  Kerkhove  did  not 
show  up  that  day,  and  Lilly  von  Robiceck  in- 
formed her  landlady  decisively  that  she  would 
not  return  until  the  gentleman  had  given  up  his 
room. 

Something  else  occurred  to  her.  She  turned 
back  into  her  room  and  wrote  the  following  lines 
hastily  on  a  piece  of  drawing  paper: 


I9o  THE     THIRD     SEX 

"  DEAR  FRIEND  : 

"  I  am  running  away  from  you  to-day.  Do  not 
attempt  to  change  my  decision.  All  must  be  over 
between  us.  I  cannot  give  you  what  you  seek  in 
me;  I  would  only  torture  and  disappoint  you.  / 
was  at  the  Prince's  party  last  night,  after  all.  Be- 
lieve me,  I  am  no  good, —  all  your  trouble  is  lost 
on  me.  Try  to  forget 

"  Your  unhappy 

11  LILLY." 

She  threw  the  letter  into  the  box  herself.  It 
was  addressed  to  Mr.  Franz  Xaver  Pirngruber. 


CHAPTER  VII 

IT  was  nine  o'clock  when  Baron  Raoul  de  Kerk- 
hove  awoke  the  following  morning.  He 
looked  tired  and  ill  and  had  deep  blue  rings  under 
his  eyes.  He  arose  yawning,  and  crept  on  bare 
feet  to  the  door  which  opened  from  his  little  room 
into  Mrs.  von  Robiceck's  bedroom.  The  wash- 
stand  stood  in-  front  of  it  an'd  it  was  with  some 
difficulty  that  he  could  bring'  his  ^ear  near  the 
door,  but  his  few  moments  of  listening  failed  to 
detect  the  slightest  sound  from  the  other  side. 
He  stepped  back,  sighed  deeply  and  beat  his  fore- 
head with  his  clenched  fist. 

Heavens,  how  bad  it  did  look  now!  his  atro- 
cious behavior  of  yesterday  evening  toward  the 
sweet  little  lady,  behavior  due  entirely  to  the  ef- 
fect of  that  confounded  alcohol,  which  he  never 
could  stand!  He  was  honestly  ashamed  of  him- 
self. Her  stolen  photograph  lay  on  his  table. 
He  sat  down  on  the  sofa  and  stared  at  the  pic- 
ture until  his  eyes  blurred.  And  again  he  beat 
his  brow  with  his  fist  and  murmured  through  his 
clenched  teeth :  "  I  must  have  been  crazy !  " 
191 


192  THE     THIRD     SEX 

Then  he  took  stock  of  the  situation.  After 
his  brutal  attack  of  last  night  it  was  quite  out  of 
the  question  that  the  dainty  little  woman  would 
ever  treat  him  otherwise  than  with  the  utmost  con- 
tempt. And  here  he  had  settled  himself  along- 
side of  her!  Decency  demanded  that  he  move 
out  at  once,  for  she  certainly  would  not  endure 
this  state  of  siege  very  long.  But  if  he  did  move 
he  must  pay  the  landlady  at  least  one  month's 
rent,  and  that  was  quite  impossible  just  at  pres- 
ent. He  caught  up  his  purse,  which  lay  on  the 
table  with  his  key,  penknife,  and  all  the  various 
boxes  and  cases  that  he  always  carried  about  with 
him,  and  counted  its  contents.  They  came  to  ex- 
actly two  marks  and  a  few  pfennigs. 

Something  must  be  done,  and  that  at  once. 
He  sprang  up,  dressed  with  all  possible  haste  and 
noiselessness,  and  when  he  had  finished  his  mod- 
est breakfast  he  set  out  at  once,  glad  to  be  able 
to  leave  the  house  without  meeting  Mrs.  von 
Robiceck.  He  carried  the  stolen  picture  in  his 
pocket. 

He  first  made  his  way  to  the  main  postoffice, 
for  all  his  mail  came  general  delivery.  A  large 
letter  with  an  official  seal  was  handed  out  to  him. 
He  stopped  in  the  court  of  the  building  to  study 
this  seal,  as  the  postmark  over  the  Russian  stamp 


THE     THIRD     SEX  193 

was  quite  illegible.  When  he  had  made  out  the 
impression  his  face  grew  pale  with  fear,  and  his 
hands  trembled.  He  tore  the  letter  open  hastily 
and  read  it.  It  was  the  hand  of  Fate.  Would 
he  be  able  to  escape  once  more? 

When  the  letter  was  safely  hidden  in  his 
pocket,  he  looked  about  anxiously  to  see  if  he  had 
been  observed.  His  face  was  deadly  white  and 
his  knees  shook.  With  uncertain  steps  he 
dragged  himself  onward  through  the  Marshall- 
strasse  to  the  Palace  Garden.  Here  he  stopped 
to  drink  a  glass  of  seltzer  at  the  kiosk  by  the 
gate,  and  then  entered  the  English  Garden.  He 
soon  found  a  solitary  bench  on  which  he  let  him- 
self fall  in  exhaustion,  wiping  the  cold  drops 
from  his  forehead  and  trying  to  think.  Immedi- 
ate flight  alone  could  save  him,  but  how  could  he 
flee  without  money?  It  seemed  impossible  for 
him  to  formulate  one  sensible  thought.  The  fig- 
ure of  charming  little  Lilly  von  Robiceck  obtruded 
again  and  again  on  his  mental  vision,  with  such 
vividness  that  mad  longing  clutched  his  heart  in 
a  grip  of  iron.  He  felt  that  he  would  be  as  little 
able  to  leave  the  neighborhood  where  this  en- 
chantress dwelt  as  he  would  be  to  put  her  out  of 
his  thoughts.  His  Fate  would  overtake  him 
here. 


I94  THE     THIRD     SEX 

He  put  his  hand  in  his  hip  pocket  and  drew 
out  a  pretty  red  leather  case,  which  looked  as  if 
it  might  contain  an  especially  valuable  meer- 
schaum pipe  head.  He  opened  it  and  took  out 
a  dainty  revolver  with  an  ivory  handle,  all  six 
chambers  loaded.  He  played  with  the  shining 
thing,  and  sank  into  a  new  train  of  reflection. 
Would  it  not  be  better  to  make  an  end  of  it  now, 
before  the  inevitable  disgrace  had  ruined  him 
morally  as  well  as  in  every  other  way?  They 
would  find  him  here  on  the  lonely  bench  in  the 
shadow  of  the  plantains,  undisfigured,  with  only 
the  tiny  red  spot  on  one  temple.  His  friends 
would  identify  him  as  young  Baron  Raoul  de 
Kerkhove,  who  had  been  driven  to  his  early  death 
by  the  pangs  of  love,  and  by  his  sorrow  for  his 
enslaved  country.  As  clergymen  are  not  allowed 
to  speak  at  the  grave  of  a  suicide,  Arnulf  Rau 
would  probably  say  some  deeply  felt  words  in  his 
praise.  Lilly  von  Robiceck,  as  his  housemate, 
would  be  the  first  to  hear  of  his  tragic  end,  and 
she  would  certainly  say  to  herself  that  she  might 
have  prevented  it,  if  she  had  not  turned  away  the 
poor  boy  so  harshly.  She  might  possibly  be  at 
his  funeral.  The  others  would  certainly  come 
with  flowers  and  palms,  the  Raus,  Dr.  Reith- 
meyer,  Claire  de  Fries,  and  first  of  all  Moritz 


THE     THIRD     SEX  195 

Haider's  Daughters,  all  in  black.  Martha 
Haider  had  such  a  pretty  black  silk  dress,  and  she 
would  bring  white  roses  in  her  hands  and  weep 
for  him. 

A  thought  shot  through  his  brain;  yes,  he 
would  try  it,  it  might  mean  escape  and  safety. 
He  returned  the  revolver  to  its  case,  and  took 
his  way  to  the  banking  house  of  Moritz  Haider's 
Daughters.  He  halted  a  few  steps  from  the  of- 
fice, wiped  his  brow,  and  drew  a  deep  breath. 
Then  he  pulled  himself  together,  entered  the 
room,  and  when  he  had  made  sure  that  there 
were  no  customers  present,  he  swung  his  hat  over 
his  head  with  a  loud,  "Hurrah!  hurrah!  hur- 
rah!" 

Martha  and  Hildegard  sprang  from  their 
chairs  and  asked  what  the  matter  was. 

"Now  just  guess,  ladies!"  he  answered  mer- 
rily, taking  the  official  letter  from  his  pocket  and 
holding  it  in  the  air. 

"  Donnerwetter !  Have  you  really  won  your 
lawsuit?"  cried  Miss  Hildegard. 

"Of  course  I  have,"  he  rejoiced;  "this  paper 
is  worth  a  round  million." 

"Well,  I  declare!"  laughed  Hildegard,  fall- 
ing into  her  desk  chair,  and  Martha  held  out  her 
hand  across  the  table,  saying:  "Well,  well,  our 


i96          THE    THIRD    SEX 

little  Raoul!  I  never  should  have  thought  you 
were  worth  that  much.  Many  hearty  congratu- 
lations 1  " 

"  Thanks  1  thanks  I  "  He  was  red  in  the  face, 
and  pressed  the  paper  into  Martha's  hand. 

She  unfolded  it  and  looked  at  the  writing. 
"  But  it's  in  Russian,"  she  exclaimed  in  disap- 
pointment. And  then  she  turned  to  the  "  young 
man  "  who  had  been  watching  the  scene  with  in- 
terest: "Oh,  Mr.  Zirngruber,  you  know  Rus- 
sian, won't  you  translate  this  for  me?"  But 
before  Zirngruber  could  answer,  Raoul  de  Kerk- 
hove  had  snatched  the  paper  again.  "  Don't 
trouble  the  gentleman,  I'll  read  it  for  you." 

He  looked  at  the  paper,  murmured  some  Rus- 
sian words,  and  delivered  himself  of  the  follow- 
ing: 

"Si.  PETERSBURG, 
"  CHANCELLERIE  OF  THE  IMPERIAL  SENATE, 

"  You  are  herewith  respectfully  notified  that 
through  the  most  gracious  decision  of  His  Maj- 
esty, the  Czar,  of  the  i5th  of  August,  old  style, 
the  judgment  of  the  undersigned  Court  of  Cassa- 
tion has  been  made  effective,  whereby  the  con- 
fiscation of  the  estates  and  properties  of  your  late 
father,  Leo  Alexejwitsch,  Baron  von  Kerkhoven 


THE    THIRD     SEX  197 

of  Usmaiken,  Hasenpot,  Masheiki,  Shagori  and 
Poswal,  was  declared  invalid,  and  the  order  has 
been  handed  down  that  said  estates  and  proper- 
ties be  returned  to  the  rightful  heirs.  You  are 
asked  to  present  yourself  before  the  loth  of  Sep- 
tember in  St.  Petersburg  to  sign  the  necessary 
documents.  Signed 

"  COURT  OF  CASSATION  OF 
THE    IMPERIAL    SENATE." 

He  folded  the  letter  again,  and  put  it  in  his 
pocket.  "  Now,  ladies,  what  do  you  think  of 
that?"  he  cried,  striking  an  attitude. 

"  First  rate !  "  said  Hildegard  with  a  hearty 
handshake. 

u  We  must  celebrate  this  propitious  occasion," 
cried  Raoul  again.  "  Command  me,  what  can  I 
do  for  you?  Shall  I  give  you  each  an  estate  for 
a  dowry?  Miss  Martha,  would  you  like 
Usmaiken,  or  would  you  prefer  Hasenpot? 
Miss  Hildegard,  I  recommend  you  to  take 
Shagori." 

"  We  can  decide  on  that  later,"  cried  Hilde- 
gard merrily.  "  I  would  suggest  that  you  take 
us  up  to  Schleich's  to  begin  on." 

"  Why,  of  course,  with  the  greatest  pleasure. 
All  right  then,  you  are  my  guests  for  this  even- 


I98  THE     THIRD     SEX 

ing;  and,  say,  the  weather  is  so  fine  to-day,  shut 
up  your  shop  and  come  with  me  now." 

Box  turned  to  her  sister :  "  You  can  go  per- 
fectly well,  Martha,  there  isn't  much  doing  to- 
day. I'll  stay  until  the  dinner  hour.  Go  for  a 
bicycle  ride;  we  won't  have  many  more  such  days 
this  summer.  Have  you  your  wheel  with  you, 
Baron?" 

"  No,  I  am  sorry  to  say.  It's  being  repaired 
again." 

"  Good  gracious !  I  think  you  got  badly  stung 
on  that  purchase." 

"  And  it  cost  me  four  hundred  marks!  " 

"  Perhaps  Mr.  Zirngruber  will  lend  you  his." 

The  "  young  man  "  was  delighted  to  be  able 
to  oblige  the  Russian  millionaire,  and  the  Baron 
assured  him  of  his  warmest  thanks. 

"  I  shall  not  forget  your  kindness,  Mr.  Zirn- 
gruber," he  added  with  a  patronizing  wave  of 
his  hand. 

The  young  man  brought  out  his  wheel,  Miss 
Martha  mounted  hers  just  as  she  was,  and  the 
couple  started  off. 

They  rode  out  to  Nymphenburg,  and  when 
they  reached  the  Grunwald  Castle  Inn,  Martha 
sprang  down  and  demanded  a  halt  for  refresh- 
ments. The  sunshine  and  the  shaking  up  on  the 


THE     THIRD     SEX  199 

bad  roads  had  made  her  hungry  and  thirsty. 
They  sat  down  merrily  and  ate  a  light  lunch  with 
enjoyment.  Miss  Martha  was  in  the  best  of 
spirits,  and  bubbled  over  with  jokes  and  droll 
coquetry.  Raoul  looked  at  her  and  sighed  gen- 
tly. She  was  really  a  'very  pretty  girl,  her 
profile  was  as  pure  and  fine  as  that  on  an  antique 
cameo,  and  her  smoothly  parted  hair  gave  her 
something  of  a  Madonna  look.  She  had  wom- 
anly charm  and  girlish  freshness  and  sprightli- 
ness,  but  she  was  just  a  little  red  in  the  face  and 
looked  heated.  Strange!  He  could  not  imag- 
ine Lilly  von  Robiceck  red  and  heated.  The 
very,  very  lovely  ladies,  for  whom  one  kills 
oneself,  they  never  perspire,  he  thought,  and  he 
felt  that  he  could  not  shoot  himself  for  Martha 
Haider.  If  ladies  set  their  ambition  on  having 
men  shoot  themselves  for  their  sake,  they  must 
not  tease  them  all  the  time. 

When  hunger  and  thirst  were  satisfied,  Raoul 
de  Kerkhove  put  his  hand  in  his  pocket  to  pay 
the  bill,  but  before  he  could  draw  out  his  purse, 
Martha  interrupted  him  and  said,  gravely: 

"  No,  Raoul,  I  won't  allow  that  —  you  must 
not  pay  for  me  —  particularly  not  now.  That 
is  just  my  pride." 

"  Don't    be     alarmed,"     laughed    the    young 


400          THE    THIRD     SEX 

Baron  in  embarrassment.  "  I  perceive  I  have 
left  my  purse  at  home,  the  first  time  it  ever  hap- 
pened. Here  I  sit  with  my  millions,  and  with- 
out a  cent." 

"  Then  permit  me  to  put  you  down  on  our 
books  for  twenty  marks." 

In  pretended  affectation,  she  took  a  gold  piece 
from  her  pretty  little  snake-skin  purse,  and 
dropped  it  into  his  hands. 

"  Many  thanks,"  the  young  man  blushingly  an- 
swered. "  Rothschild  began  by  lending  money 
to  men  of  position.  Who  knows,  this  double 
crown  may  mean  for  your  firm  the  start  of  a  for- 
tune like  his !  " 

"  What  should  I  do  with  so  much  money," 
laughed  Miss  Martha.  "  Do  you  think  money 
is  all  we  need  to  make  us  happy,  you  young  pluto- 
crat you?  " 

"  Oh,  no,  I  know  well,  '  happy  alone  is  the  soul 
that  can  love,'  as  the  poet  sings." 

Miss  Martha  sprang  to  her  feet,  rolled  her 
eyes  drolly,  and  cried  in  good  Saxon  dialect: 
"  Oh,  do  stop,  you  give  me  a  pain!  " 

Baron  de  Kerkhove  paid  the  little  bill,  and 
then  they  rode  on  to  Nymphenburg  castle.  By 
that  time  they  had  had  enough,  for  it  was  very 
warm.  They  left  their  wheels  at  the  gate,  en- 


THE     THIRD     SEX  201 

tered  the  park  and  sat  down  on  a  shady  bench 
with  a  view  of  the  swan  lake  and  the  Greek  tern- 
pie. 

"  Oh,  this  heat!  "  sighed  the  fair  Martha,  who 
found  a  particular  pleasure  in  talking  Saxon  to- 
day. It  was  one  of  her  little  accomplishments. 

Raoul  said  nothing,  and  let  his  watery  blue 
eyes  rest  on  the  unmoved  surface  of  the  little 
lake.  The  sunshine  sparkled  over  it,  and 
through  the  reeds  on  the  far  side  two  young 
swans  were  making  their  open-mouthed  way. 

"What  are  you  gaping  at,  Raoul?"  His 
pretty  neighbor  aroused  him  from  his  brown 
study. 

He  was  offended  by  her  fun  and  answered 
sadly.  "  Can't  you  ever  be  serious,  Miss  Mar- 
tha? Have  you  no  ear  for  Life's  mournful 
elegy,  which  is  everywhere  to  be  heard,  even  in 
the  midst  of  the  full  harmonies  of  beauty  and 

joy?" 

"Ah,  now,  ain't  that  beautifully  said!"  con- 
tinued Martha  the  incorrigible. 

"  You  do  not  understand  me,"  sighed  Raoul, 
and  turned  away  hurt.  "  You  only  want  to  play 
with  my  feelings.  Does  that  give  you  so  much 
pleasure?  Oh,  I  can  play,  too,  but  I  play  with 
other  things." 


202  THE     THIRD     SEX 

He  took  the  red  leather  case  from  his  pocket, 
and  revealed  the  dainty  weapon.  He  let  the 
barrel  sparkle  before  her  eyes,  until  she  shrank 
back  frightened  to  the  farthest  corner  of  the 
bench.  Then  he  laughed  like  a  child  amused  at 
her  alarm,  and  said:  "I  play  with  this  every 
day,  Miss  Martha,  and  I  imagine  how  it  would 
be  to  take  it  up  in  deadly  earnest  some  time. 
These  things  go  off  so  easily.  And  I  know  of 
nothing  worse  than  the  feeling  that  one  is  su- 
perfluous. I  feel  so  often,  nowadays,  that  I  am 
not  equal  to  all  the  great  things  I  have  set  myself 
to  do.  I  feel  that  everyone  else  will  be  as  little 
inclined  as  you  are  to  take  me  seriously,  and  that 
knowledge  robs  me  of  all  wish  to  live." 

"  How  can  you  talk  like  that  at  your  age,  and 
when  you  have  just  inherited  a  million,"  replied 
Martha  in  her  usual  manner  of  speaking. 
"  With  your  money  you  can  find  enough  to  do, 
and  the  world  takes  millions  seriously  enough." 

"  I  do  not  want  to  be  judged  by  my  money, 
but  by  my  personal  worth !  "  cried  Raoul  gloom- 
ily. "What  sort  of  a  life  would  that  be?  If 
I  cannot  feel  sure  that  I  can  be  loved  for  myself, 
then  I  don't  want  the  millions." 

"  Put  up  that  thing,  Raoul,  and  don't  talk  so 
foolishly,"  said  Martha,  taking  the  revolver 


THE     THIRD     SEX  203 

from  his  hand  and  closing  it  in  its  case.  "  You 
are  still  so  young,  you  certainly  have  no  occa- 
sion to  look  despairingly  on  life  or  on  the  chance 
of  love." 

41  Really?  Do  you  really  think  so?  Oh,  tell 

me,  Miss  Martha "  He  caught  her  hand 

and  gazed  into  her  eyes  without  completing  the 
sentence.  Try  as  she  might,  she  could  not  help 
laughing  at  his  tragic  face,  with  the  pimple  right 
on  the  tip  of  the  nose. 

He  turned  away  sighing,  and  stared  out  over 
the  shimmering  lake  again.  They  sat  silent  for 
a  long  time,  the  spell  of  the  noonday's  hot  brood- 
ing fell  numbing  on  their  limbs  and  thoughts, 
they  dreamed  with  open  eyes.  Raoul  de  Kerk- 
hove  had  a  vision.  From  out  the  depths  of  the 
lake  came  a  great  white  water-lily.  Its  chalice 
opened  slowly  and  in  it,  softly  bedded,  lay  a  ten- 
der rosy  body,  a  fine  and  dainty  elf.  The  two 
young  swans  swam  up,  and  harnessed  themselves 
to  the  blossoms  with  chains  made  of  golden  sun- 
beams. They  drew  it  slowly  through  the  gleam- 
ing water,  and  as  it  neared  the  shore,  the  fairy 
boat  grew  larger  and  larger  and  the  little  elf  in 
it  grew  and  grew,  too,  and  became  a  wondrously 
beautiful  woman  with  rich  ash-blond  hair  and 
great  violet  eyes.  And  when  the  swans  were 


204  THE    THIRD    SEX 

very  near  the  bank,  Raoul  saw  that  it  was  Lilly 
von  Robiceck.  The  blood  rushed  to  his  heart, 
his  hands  grew  cold.  Deep  red  darkness  lay 
over  his  eyes,  and  he  stretched  out  his  arms  in 
overpowering  longing. 

"What's  the  matter,  Baron?"  asked  the 
pretty  girl  at  his  side,  startled  from  her  com- 
fortable dreaming  by  his  queer  actions. 

He  suddenly  threw  his  outstretched  arms  about 
her  body,  pressed  her  to  his  breast  and  kissed 
her  vehemently  on  the  neck  and  under  the  ear. 

She  screamed,  but  there  was  no  one  near  to 
hear.  She  struggled  with  him,  panting  angrily, 
and  finally  freed  herself  with  a  violent  jerk. 

She  stood  before  him  trembling  with  rage. 
"  What  do  you  mean?  You  must  be  crazy " 

He  fell  back  wearily  on  the  bench,  took  off  his 
hat  and  fanned  himself  sadly,  saying,  in  a  voice 
of  extreme  fatigue:  "Indeed?  Well,  it  may 
be  possible.  Sweet  Martha,  have  pity  on  me,  I 
love  you." 

Miss  Martha's  black  eyes  shot  contempt  down 
at  him.  "  That  is  impertinence,  not  love." 
She  turned  her  back  on  him,  and  hurried  with 
long  hasty  steps  through  the  shadowy  forest 
paths.  He  sprang  from  his  seat  and  caught  up 
with  her.  However  much  she  hurried,  he  re- 


THE    THIRD    SEX  205 

mained  at  her  side,  talking  softly  but  earnestly: 

"  Please  listen  to  me,  Miss  Martha.  Why  are 
you  so  angry?  What  have  I  done?  If  you  call 
that  impertinence,  then  I  am  sorry.  But  that's 
the  way  love  always  begins." 

"What  do  you  know  about  it?"  she  ex- 
claimed impatiently.  "  Leave  me,  I  don't  want 
to  see  you  again." 

"  Oh,  you  think  I  don't  know  what  love  is?  " 
he  cried  offended.  "  If  you  only  knew,  you 
would  not  make  fun  of  me.  I  know  love,  be- 
lieve me,  in  all  its  phases,  except  the  legitimate, 
of  course." 

"  Be  quiet !  you  are  indecent.  I  don't  want  to 
hear  you." 

"  And  I  want  to  ask  you  if  you  will  follow 
me  to  Livonia  and  share  my  honors  and  my 
money?  " 

She  halted  involuntarily,  and  looked  at  him 
with  wide  eyes.  He  seized  the  opportunity  to 
catch  at  her  hand,  but  she  tore  it  away.  "  Let 
me  go.  I  forbid  you  to  follow  me.  I  am  going 
home  alone." 

"  Oh,  and  you  will  tell  your  sister  that  I  of- 
fered you  my  hand?  " 

"  No,  I  shan't  tell  her,  I  am  so  ashamed  of 
myself."  The  tears  came  suddenly  to  her  eyes, 


206  THE    THIRD    SEX 

and  while  wiping  them  away  she  hurried  on  all 
the  quicker,  stammering  in  her  excitement,  "  I 
don't  know  what  I  have  done  to  deserve  this. 
I  have  never  given  you  cause  to  treat  me  like 
this." 

"  Why,  you  certainly  have !  Didn't  you  tease 
me  incessantly?  I  am  no  boy.  Will  you  take 
me  seriously  now?" 

"  I  don't  want  to  see  you  again  —  let  me  go." 

"  Listen  to  me,  Miss  Martha ;  I  will  tell  you 
something.  Love  will  never  come  to  you,  for 
you  run  away  from  it,  and  make  grimaces  at  it 
from  a  distance  like  a  scared  rabbit.  I  pity  you, 
Miss  Martha."  He  stopped,  raised  his  hat,  and 
let  her  go  on  undisturbed. 

When  he  reached  the  castle  gate,  he  saw  her 
riding  through  the  avenue  by  the  canal.  He 
mounted  Mr.  Zirngruber's  machine  and  rode  on- 
ward slowly,  so  that  the  distance  between  them 
grew  steadily  greater  until  he  lost  sight  of  her 
altogether  in  the  Nymphenburgstrasse.  Then 
he  considered  what  was  to  be  done  now.  He 
could  not  return  to  his  old  apartment  of  three 
handsomely  furnished  rooms  in  the  Schelling- 
strasse,  because  he  had  told  his  landlord  there 
that  he  was  going  out  of  town  for  two  weeks. 
The  good  man  took  no  alarm  at  this,  for  he  had 


THE     THIRD     SEX  207 

the  new  and  elegant  furniture  as  security  for  the 
rent,  which  was  still  unpaid.  He  did  not  happen 
to  know  that  the  furniture  was  only  rented. 
Raoul  did  not  want  to  return  to  the  new  room, 
into  which  he  had  taken  only  a  light  trunk,  for 
fear  of  meeting  Mrs.  von  Robiceck.  He  de- 
cided not  to  go  there  until  after  nightfall,  which 
also  allowed  him  to  put  off  signing  the  paper  for 
the  police  until  another  day.  They  could  look 
for  him  if  they  wanted  him. 

He  rode  about  aimlessly  for  almost  an  hour 
in  the  outskirts  of  the  city,  just  to  kill  time  and 
to  shake  off  his  unpleasant  thoughts.  At  one 
o'clock  he  put  up  his  wheel  in  the  Restaurant 
Frangais,  and  ordered  a  good  five  mark  dinner 
and  a  bottle  of  wine  for  the  same  price.  Fair 
Martha's  money  should  at  least  satisfy  his  hun- 
ger, even  if  she  herself  refused  to  satisfy  his  long- 
ing heart.  After  dinner  he  adjourned  to  the  Cafe 
Luitpold,  smoked  an  endless  number  of  cigars, 
read  an  endless  number  of  newspapers,  and 
asked  black-haired  Pepi,  who  was  an  old  friend 
of  his,  if  she  would  take  a  trip  to  Italy  with 
him,  as  he  had  just  fallen  heir  to  a  million. 
She  was  delighted  at  the  prospect,  and  he  gave 
her  three  marks  to  buy  a  new  pair  of  gloves. 
But  even  then  it  was  only  four  o'clock,  so  he 


208  THE     THIRD     SEX 

seated  himself  once  more  on  Mr.  Zirngruber's 
wheel  and  rode  out  to  Aumeister.  Tired  from 
the  heat  of  the  day  and  his  sleepless  night,  he  hid 
the  machine  in  the  bushes,  threw  himself  on  the 
grass  and  was  soon  fast  asleep. 

When  he  awoke  it  was  past  six  o'clock,  and'  he 
hurried  back  to  the  city,  feeling  that  he  hadn't  a 
moment  to  lose.  He  rode  up  to  the  office  of 
Moritz  Haider's  Daughters,  just  in  time  to  re- 
turn Mr.  Zirngruber  his  wheel,  and  to  catch  Miss 
Hildegard  closing  the  place.  "  Has  Miss 
Martha  gone  home  already?"  Raoul  asked  cau- 
tiously. 

"  No,  she  didn't  come  back  here  at  all,"  re- 
plied Box,  unsuspectingly.  "  She  didn't  feel 
well, —  she  can't  stand  the  heat, —  so  she  stayed 
home  to  lie  down." 

"  Oh,  I  am  very  sorry !  May  I  accompany 
you?" 

"  Yes,  if  you  will  walk  on  slowly,  for  I  must 
give  Schampus  his  exercise  and  a  swim.  You'll 
find  me  at  home  in  half  an  hour." 

He  strolled  slowly  to  the  Giselastrasse,  and 
saw  by  a  glance  at  the  wheel  shed  in  the  court 
that  Box  had  not  yet  returned.  He  took  stock 
of  the  situation  again.  Had  he  better  go  up  and 
attempt  a  second  attack  on  Martha's  heart? 


THE     THIRD     SEX  209 

When  she  realized  that  he  was  in  earnest  it  would 
not  be  easy,  he  thought,  for  a  young  girl  to  re- 
fuse a  Baron  with  a  million  rubles.  But  then 
on  the  other  hand,  what  would  happen  if  she 
really  said  "  yes,"  and  he,  in  his  conscientious- 
ness, should  actually  take  her  at  her  word? 
(Raoul  de  Kerkhove  always  drew  his  conscience 
into  his  calculations,  although  it  had  left  him  in 
the  lurch  more  than  once.)  The  girl  was  too 
handsome  for  a  man  of  his  temperament  to  find 
it  possible  to  live  a  cool  marriage  of  convenience 
with  her,  and  yet  she  was  apparently  so  cold- 
blooded that  he  could  hardly  hope  for  an 
ecstatic  love  happiness.  So  perhaps  it  was  best 
to  give  up  his  serious  intentions  with  regard  to 
Martha  Haider;  besides  which,  it  was  scarcely 
likely  that  she  would  receive  him  at  all  now. 
Anyway,  it  was  not  a  good  idea  to  make  a  pro- 
posal of  marriage  with  the  object  of  asking  for 
an  immediate  money  loan  —  at  least  such  con- 
duct might  not  appear  nice  in  the  eyes  of  a  refined 
person,  although  the  ladies  Haider,  as  business 
women,  might  be  expected  to  be  less  sentimental 
about  money  matters.  He  had  better  try  to 
achieve  his  purpose  in  a  simpler  manner.  Walk- 
ing up  and  down  in  front  of  the  house,  he  thought 
over  this  problem  until  he  saw  Box  come  round 


210          THE    THIRD    SEX 

the  corner  at  a  sharp  pace,  with  Schampus  tear- 
ing on  ahead. 

The  good  creature,  still  sopping  wet,  sprang 
up  on  his  friend  Raoul  in  delight,  leaving  the 
marks  of  his  broad  dirty  paws  on  the  latter's 
elegant,  new,  and  unpaid-for  summer  suit. 

Box  sprang  down,  scolded  the  dog,  and  con- 
doled with  her  young  friend  over  the  mischief 
done.  Then  she  put  up  her  wheel,  and  all  three 
climbed  upstairs  to  the  Haiders'  apartment. 

The  servant  was  out  and  Miss  Martha  opened 
the  door.  She  smiled  a  forced  smile  when  she 
saw  the  young  Baron,  and  answered  her  sister's 
sympathetic  questions  as  to  her  health  with  a 
shrug,  disappearing  immediately  into  her  own 
room. 

Hildegard  looked  after  her  with  a  shake  of 
the  head,  and  said  to  Raoul,  as  she  let  him  pass 
in,  "  Queer  girl !  the  least  little  thing  upsets  her 
so.  She  never  spoke  a  word  to  me  through  din- 
ner, as  if  I  were  the  cause  of  her  headache. 
And  when  I  commenced  about  your  good  luck 
she  told  me  to  shut  up,  that  you  were  a  little 
beast.  Now,  why  should  you  be  a  little  beast  all 
of  a  sudden?  Please  take  a  seat,  Baron." 

"  Yes,  I'd  like  to  know  why  myself  — 
thanks."  The  young  man  sat  down  in  a  com- 


THE     THIRD     SEX  211 

fortable  arm-chair,  drew  off  his  gloves  slowly 
and  smiled  a  knowing  smile. 

Box  sat  opposite  him  with  crossed  legs  and 
asked:  "Why  that  smile,  Baron?  What  did 
you  do  to  her?  " 

"  Nothing  that  I  know  of,"  he  replied  cheer- 
ily. "  Tell  me,  Miss  Hildegard,  do  you  believe 
that  lending  money  always  destroys  friend- 
ship?" 

"And  why?" 

"  Well,  Miss  Martha  lent  me  twenty  marks. 
Perhaps  that  is  why  she  calls  me  a  little 
beast." 

"Nonsense,  Baron,"  laughed  Box;  "why  do 
you  bother  yourself  with  such  trifles  in  your 
present  circumstances." 

"Yes,  isn't  it  ridiculous?  Imagine  it,  I  was 
not  in  a  position  to  pay  a  bill  of  one  mark  fifty! 
I  have  been  just  a  little  reckless  lately,  and  my 
next  allowance  will  not  come  for  two  weeks  yet. 
Now  how  shall  I  get  to  St.  Petersburg?  Could 
you  let  me  have  a  thousand?" 

"A  thousand  marks?  It  doesn't  cost  that 
much,  does  it?  " 

"  No,  not  quite,  but  in  Wirballen  the  Orient 
begins,  and  one  must  have  bakshish  in  hand. 
And  then  I  must  make  a  proper  appearance  in 


212  THE     THIRD     SEX 

St.  Petersburg  as  the  future  Marshal  and  heir  of 
Usmaiken,  Hasenpot,  Mosheiki,  Shagori  and 
Poswol." 

"  Do  you  really  get  the  whole  bunch?  " 

"Not  quite;  I  must  divide  with  my  elder  sis- 
ter and  my  younger  brother,  but  I  have  the  entail 
and  the  title.  I  hope  this  is  enough  security  for 
you.  And  then  I  have  my  new  and  handsome 
furniture  in  the  Schellingstrasse,  I  can  make  that 
over  to  you." 

"  Oh,  that's  such  a  bother,"  answered  Box  in 
a  business-like  manner.  "  You  need  the  money 
right  away,  and  it's  easier  for  you  to  give  me  a 
note,  say  for  three  months  —  you  will  have  your 
money  then,  will  you  not?" 

"  Certainly.  My  allowance  comes  in  two 
weeks,  as  I  said,  and  then  I  can  get  all  I  want 
in  St.  Petersburg,  anyway." 

"  All  right,"  said  Box,  rising  and  going  to  her 
desk.  "  But  I  haven't  the  thousand  here  in  the 
house  —  would  five  hundred  do?  Come  to  the 
office  to-morrow  and  I  will  give  you  a  draft  on 
the  bank  for  the  rest."  She  opened  the  drawer 
and  took  out  a  little  money  box.  "  Oh,  dear  I  " 
she  cried,  "  I  see  I  have  not  even  five  hundred 
here  —  so  I'll  put  you  down  for  three  hundred 
now.  Does  that  suit  you?  We'll  get  the  rest 


THE     THIRD     SEX  213 

to-morrow  —  you  needn't  take  the  very  earliest 
train?" 

Raoul  had  risen  also.  "  Many  thanks,  do 
just  as  you  think  best.  I  must  close  up  several 
matters  here  anyway,  as  it  will  probably  be  six 
months  before  I  can  return." 

Box  had  her  back  to  him,  so  she  could  not  see 
his  disappointed  face.  While  she  was  looking 
for  the  proper  paper  and  filling  it  out,  he  wan- 
dered about  the  room,  looking  at  the  many  knick- 
knacks  it  contained.  He  discovered  a  case  of 
Indian  workmanship,  in  silver  and  ivory,  which 
he  had  not  seen  before.  A  little  key  was  in  one 
of  the  drawers.  He  opened  it  in  his  curiosity, 
and  then  exclaimed  in  sudden  surprise :  "  Oh, 
what  charming  legs !  " 

Hildegard  Haider  gave  an  involuntary  look 
down  at  herself  to  see  if  her  skirt  was  pulled  up, 
then  she  turned  to  him.  "  Oh,  papa's  collection 
—  didn't  I  ever  show  that  to  you?" 

"  No,  please  pardon  my  curiosity,  it  is  most 
interesting." 

u  Please  write  your  name  here." 

He  stepped  to  the  desk,  and  wrote  his  name 
on  the  note.  Looking  it  over,  he  found  himself 
set  down  as  owing  three  hundred  and  five  marks, 
and  fifty  pfennigs. 


2i4          THE    THIRD     SEX 

Box  saw  his  surprise  and  explained:  "That's 
business,  you  know.  One-third  per  cent  commis- 
sion and  six  per  cent  interest  for  three  months, 
recoverable  by  law  in  case  of  a  protesting  of  the 
note.  Here  is  the  money." 

The  young  Baron  bowed  in  thanks  and  put  the 
bills  in  his  pocket.  Then  he  turned  again  to  the 
collection  of  tobacco-stoppers,  and  Box  explained 
several  of  the  choicest  pieces. 

"  It  is  remarkable,"  he  said  meditatively,  after 
a  few  moments,  "  how  much  our  imagination  has 
always  occupied  itself  with  women's  legs.  I 
suppose  it  is  simply  the  charm  of  the  veiled.  If 
bicycle  riding  should  put  skirts  out  of  fashion, 
then  long  robes  would  have  to  be  invented  espe- 
cially for  the  ballet  girls,  and  not  even  an  old 
Major  would  think  of  stopping  his  pipe  with  a 
little  leg  like  these." 

"  Very  well  put,  and  very  true,"  laughed  Box. 
"  I  believe  this  question  of  clothes  has  a  still 
wider  significance  even.  If  we  women  could 
wear  trousers  without  making  ourselves  conspic- 
uous, then  I  could  do  business  on  the  Stock  Ex- 
change myself.  I  don't  blame  the  men  for 
refusing  equal  rights  to  a  sex  that  has  so  much 
to  conceal,  and  does  it  with  so  much  fuss. 
We're  not  even  equal  before  God,  for  they  won't 


THE     THIRD     SEX  215 

allow  us  to  take  off  our  bird's  nests,  or  whatever 
other  foolish  contrivance  we  wear  on  our  heads, 
when  we  wish  to  show  our  reverence  to  the  Lord 
in  His  own  house.  We  expect  even  God  to  close 
an  eye  out  of  politeness.  And  just  as  long  as  we 
exact  politeness  and  chivalry,  we  acknowledge 
ourselves  to  be  the  weaker  sex,  therefore  I,  for 
one,  snap  my  fingers  at  chivalry." 

Raoul  de  Kerkhove  played  nervously  with  one 
of  the  finest  specimens,  as  he  remarked  thought- 
fully: "Tell  me,  it  would  really  interest  me, 
.  .  .  can  you,  yourself,  imagine  Miss  Hildegard 
Haider  as  a  wife?  " 

"Oh,  yes;  why  not?"  she  answered  without 
hesitation.  "  Only  I  can't  imagine  what  sort  of 
a  husband  I  should  have." 

Raoul  began  again,  timidly:  "I  suppose  you 
would  prefer  an  older  man,  who  —  what  shall 
I  say " 

"  No,  thanks,  much  obliged,  but  I  have  no  in- 
terest in  ruins.  A  condition  of  merry  war  with 
a  bright  young  chap,  with  whom  one  could  have 
a  good  hearty  quarrel,  seems  to  me  much  more 
amusing.  You  see,  it  is  possible  that  I  might  get 
tired  of  the  banking  business  some  day.  Then 
I  could  marry  a  decent  colleague  and  let  him  run 
the  shop;  that  would  be  the  so-called  sensible 


THE     THIRD     SEX 

marriage.  But  if  I  should  marry  for  love, — 
no  reason  to  laugh,  Baron, —  if  I  should  marry 
for  love,  then  I  would  find  my  happiness  in  hav- 
ing a  husband  whom  I  could  train  up  in  the  way 
he  should  go.  Men  aren't  so  bad  as  we  please 
to  think  them,  if  they  only  fall  into  the  right 
hands,  that  is." 

"  Then  you  would,  hm !  —  as  it  were  —  look 
for  a  position  as  governess  to  a  single  gentleman? 
Delicious  —  and  very  original!"  And  Raoul 
scratched  thoughtfully  with  his  nail  at  a  little 
black  spot  on  the  leg  he  held  in  his  hand. 

"  Don't  scratch  that,"  cried  Box,  laughing,  "  it 
won't  come  off;  it's  meant  for  a  flea." 

"  Oh,  dear  I  "  cried  Raoul  comically,  blushing 
like  a  young  girl.  He  held  out  his  hand  to  put 
the  leg  back  in  the  box,  but  it  fell  from  his  fin- 
gers to  the  table  and  broke.  "  Oh,  dear !  Now 
I  have  broken  your  pretty  leg,"  he  cried  in  de- 
spair. 

She  scolded  him  good-naturedly:  "You 
clumsy  thing,  you  1  " 

"  I  am  most  unhappy,  Miss  Hildegard,"  he 
stammered.  "  Scold  me  some  more,  I  have  de- 
served it.  I  am  just  as  clumsy  with  everything 
I  touch  in  life,  but  I  have  never  broken  a  lady's 


THE     THIRD     SEX  217 

leg  before,  not  even  her  heart.  If  you  wish  it, 
I  will  shoot  myself  on  the  spot." 

And  he  fished  out  his  famous  revolver  from 
its  case  in  his  pocket,  holding  it  to  his  temple 
with  a  fine  theatrical  gesture.  Box  didn't  show 
much  alarm.  "  Oh,  you  ridiculous  thing,  you 
make  me  laugh!"  she  exclaimed  good- 
humoredly,  taking  the  revolver  from  his 
hand. 

"  Give  me  back  my  comforter,"  he  begged, 
sadly  smiling.  "  You  can't  imagine  how  many 
serious  talks  we  have  had  together,  my  shining 
little  friend  here  and  I.  You  see,  it  is  my  tender 
heart  that  is  the  cause  of  all  my  misfortune.  My 
soul  is  not  robust  enough  to  endure  the  pressure 
of  sympathy  with  the  millions  of  my  unhappy  fel- 
low creatures." 

"  Oh,  don't  talk  nonsense !  "  cried  Box  impa- 
tiently. "  Sympathy  is  the  worst  of  all  passions. 
Every  young  man  ought  to  have  a  good  portion 
of  healthy  selfishness  in  his  make-up." 

"  That's  just  the  trouble,"  he  sighed,  "  I  can't 
reach  that  standpoint.  I  am  such  a  clinging  na- 
ture, I  believe  I  would  have  made  a  most  at- 
tractive young  girl.  It  is  my  misfortune  to  have 
been  born  a  man." 


218  THE     THIRD     SEX 

"  Ha,  ha !  it's  just  the  opposite  with  me," 
laughed  Box. 

"  Yes,  you  know  I've  always  thought  we  would 
supplement  each  other  remarkably  well." 

"  That  wasn't  what  I  meant." 

"  But  it  is  the  truth  —  yes,  honestly.  Your 
heart  longs  for  something  to  educate  and  to 
guide;  mine  needs  a  strong  hand." 

His  pale  eyes  gleamed  moistly  past  her  into 
vacancy,  and  she  pricked  up  her  ears  in  expecta- 
tion of  what  was  to  come  next.  But  when  sev- 
eral minutes  had  elapsed  without  anything 
occurring,  she  thought  it  better  to  prod  him  with 
an  encouraging,  "Well?" 

The  young  Baron  started  slightly  and  recalled 
his  roving  glance.  He  sighed  from  his  knees 
up,  and  then  spoke. 

"  Ah,  Miss  Haider,  think  of  my  situation.  I 
must  go  back  to  Livonia,  to  the  home  from  which 
I  fled,  with  a  feeling  of  utter  loneliness;  I  must 
take  the  management  of  my  immense  estates 
upon  myself,  and  it  is  a  task  for  which  I  am  so 
ill-fitted!  And  then  the  Russian  officials  —  they 
fairly  flay  one  alive !  " 

"  Marry  a  sensible  woman,  if  you  can't  take 
care  of  yourself,"  said  Box,  giving  him  a  friendly 
slap  on  the  shoulder. 


THE    THIRD     SEX  219 

He  tried  bravely  to  beam,  and  answered: 
"  That  1*5  the  solution,  Miss  Haider,  but  where 
shall  I  find  such  a  one?  It  must  not  be  an  aver- 
age woman,  a  woman  in  the  usual  sense,  for  I 
myself  belong  to  the  weaker  sex.  And  yet  in 
all  my  travels  I  have  met  but  one  strong  and 
really  sensible  woman,  and  that  is  yourself,  Miss 
Haider.  I  do  not  know  whether  I  dare " 

"  For  mercy  sake,  are  you  really  going  to  pro- 
pose to  me  ? "  burst  out  Box,  falling  into  the 
nearest  chair  with  a  most  delighted  expression  of 
face.  He  pulled  his  chair  up  to  her,  and  rubbed 
his  knees  with  the  flat  of  his  hands. 

"  There,  you  see  how  unlucky  I  am,"  he  spoke 
sadly.  "  You  don't  take  me  seriously,  you  only 
laugh  at  me." 

"  Oh,  come  now,  don't  be  offended,"  she  an- 
swered in  the  friendliest  tone.  "  But  it  is  so  very 
sudden,  I  can't  seem  to  imagine  myself  as  Baron- 
ess and  chatelaine." 

"And  why  not?  Didn't  I  tell  you  once  that 
I  liked  to  think  of  you  as  an  Amazon  on  a  fiery 
steed,  with  a  high  silk  hat?  " 

"Hm!  yes,  the  hat  might  have  charms  for 
me,"  she  laughed.  "  And  when  I  think  of  the 
sort  of  people  that  put  themselves  on  the  high 
horse  sometimes,  I  know  I  could  hold  my  own 


220  THE     THIRD     SEX 

with  most  of  them,  anyway.  But,  don't  be  an- 
gry, it  is  rather  funny,  you  are  so  terribly  young 
and  I  am  thirty-three." 

"  That's  only  on  the  surface,"  he  smiled 
mournfully.  "  My  soul  is  aged,  as  aged  as  one 
must  become  when  one  broods  on  all  the  sorrow- 
ful problems  that  vex  humanity." 

Box  did  not  answer ;  she  sat  in  silence,  thought- 
fully gnawing  her  under  lip.  Her  dark  eyes 
shone,  and  the  surprise  had  called  up  a  delicate 
color  on  her  white  skin;  she  looked  decidedly 
pretty  and  girlish.  Suddenly  a  thought  ran 
through  her  brain,  she  seized  his  wrist  and  shook 
him  gently. 

"  See  here,  my  little  friend,"  she  said,  "  please 
explain  how  you  suddenly  come  to  honor  me  with 
a  serious  proposal,  after  paying  such  energetic 
attentions  to  my  sister?  " 

"  Hm !  how  can  I  explain  it,"  he  replied  softly. 
"  At  first  Miss  Martha  seemed  to  be  —  the  near- 
est—  the  most  natural  friend  for  me;  but  just 
by  reason  of  the  contrast  of  her  youth  I  seemed 
to  feel  how  old  I  really  am  —  and  yet  she  had 
only  mockery  for  me." 

"  That's  just  her  way,  she  doesn't  mean  any- 
thing by  it." 

"  Perhaps ;   but  this  manner  kills   all    serious 


THE     THIRD     SEX  221 

feeling    in    those    whom    her    beauty    attracts." 

Box  looked  at  him  in  sudden  surprise.  "  I 
fear  you  have  spoken  a  true  word  there;  you're 
not  so  stupid  anyway,  Raoul.  If  I  really  knew 
that  I  was  not  interfering  with  my  sister  — 
hm " 

"Then  I  may  hope?"  The  young  man  rose 
and  held  out  his  hand. 

She  rose  also,  and  raised  her  right  hand  as  if 
to  take  his,  then  she  hesitated  and  said:  "I 
must  think  it  over;  don't  be  so  impatient,  you  fiery 
youth !  " 

He  dropped  his  hand  and  heaved  a  sigh  that 
would  soften  a  heart  of  stone. 

She  smiled  into  his  eyes,  folded  her  hands  be- 
hind her  back,  and  said,  with  amusingly  clumsy 
coquetry:  "  I  suppose  you  might  give  me  a  trial 
kiss  —  that  doesn't  commit  us  to  anything, 
does  it?" 

"  You  are  very  kind,"  he  answered  blushing, 
laid  his  arm  gently  round  her  shoulder  and  kissed 
her  hastily  on  the  mouth,  without  any  disrespect- 
ful display  of  ardor. 

"  Didn't  you  like  it?  "  he  joked,  as  she  rubbed 
her  lips  with  her  coat  sleeve. 

"  Not  madly  —  to  be  quite  frank,"  she 
laughed  merrily.  "  But  I  promise  you  that 


222  THE    THIRD    SEX 

shan't  frighten  me.  I  don't  imagine  I  know  as 
much  about  kissing  as  you  do,  and  one  learns 
something  new  every  day."  She  held  out  her 
hand  and  pressed  his  heartily. 

"  Shall  we  go  to  Schleich's  for  supper  now?" 
he  asked. 

"  No,  we'd  better  give  it  up  for  to-day. 
Martha  isn't  able  to  go,  and  under  the  present 
circumstances  I  can't  take  supper  with  a  young 
man  alone.  You  see  your  offer  has  suddenly 
robbed  me  of  all  my  independence.  Yesterday 
I  would  have  wandered  about  with  you  until  mid- 
night, but  to-day  I  feel  it  my  duty  to  conduct 
myself  like  a  mature  young  girl  of  good  family. 
My  land,  how  stupid  that  must  be!  So  please 
go  now,  and  to-morrow  you  shall  have  your  check 
and  your  answer.  By-by,  Baron." 

He  did  not  go  at  once.  It  was  evident  there 
was  something  on  his  mind  to  say  yet.  Finally 
he  drew  a  ring  from  his  finger,  and  said :  "  My 
dear  Hildegard  —  I  may  call  you  that  now,  may 
I  not?  —  I  want  so  much  to  give  you  something 
for  the  broken  leg.  This  belonged  to  my 
mother,  please  take  it,  no  matter  what  your  an- 
swer may  be."  And  he  pressed  a  gold  circle  set 
with  a  single  large  turquoise  on  her  reluctant  fin- 
ger. 


THE     THIRD     SEX  223 

"  If  you  really  wish  it,  then  many  thanks,"  said 
Hildegard  in  droll  embarrassment. 

He  took  up  his  hat  slowly,  looked  about  the 
room  as  if  to  fix  the  picture  in  his  mind;  took  a 
few  steps  and  halted  again  near  the  desk,  as  if 
the  farewell  were  too  hard.  Hildegard  Haider 
stood  by  the  table,  with  her  back  turned  to  him. 
She  was  honestly  embarrassed,  and  was  as  red 
as  any  ordinary  young  girl  would  be,  who  feared, 
or  hoped,  to  be  caught  and  hugged  in  a  minute. 
But  Raoul  was  not  thinking  of  any  such  disre- 
spectful action,  and  instead  made  use  of  her  inat- 
tention to  fold  up  the  draft  which  still  lay  on  the 
desk,  and  to  put  it  in  his  pocket. 

She  heard  the  rattle  of  the  paper  and  turned: 
"What  are  you  doing?  That  is  your  note,  I 
must  keep  that." 

"  Indeed?  Oh,  I  beg  your  pardon,"  he  an- 
swered, looking  very  stupid.  "  I  didn't  know, 
I  never  signed  one  before."  He  returned  the 
paper  to  its  place. 

"  Oh,  you  sweet  innocence ! "  she  joked. 
"  Look  at  him  running  away  with  the  only  se- 
curity I  have."  Then  she  took  him  by  the  shoul- 
ders and  marched  him  briskly  out  at  the  door. 

When  she  heard  the  outer  door  fall  to  behind 
him,  she  ran  into  Martha's  room,  calling  out, 


224  THE     THIRD     SEX 

before  she  had  crossed  the  threshold:  "Say, 
sweet  flower,  I've  just  had  a  proposal  from 
Raoul !  " 

The  fair  Martha,  who  was  sitting  at  her  table 
with  a  book,  turned  pale  and  fell  back  against  the 
sofa  pillows.  "  You  have?"  she  exclaimed  in 
incredulous  surprise. 

Box  came  nearer,  and  continued  in  an  offended 
tone :  "  Well,  you  needn't  appear  quite  so  sur- 
prised. Why  shouldn't  he  propose  to  me?" 

"  Because  he  proposed  to  me  to-day,"  was 
Martha's  prompt  answer. 

"To  you,  too?"  Box  had  to  sit  down. 
"What  did  you  say?" 

"  I  very  naturally  told  him  what  I  thought  of 
him." 

"  I  don't  think  that  natural,  I  think  it  very 
stupid.  Do  you  believe  he  really  loves  you?" 

"  He  swore  it  anyway,"  replied  Martha  with 
a  shrug.  "  He  drew  out  his  revolver  and  said 
he  would  shoot  himself." 

"  That's  what  he  did  with  me,  too,"  inter- 
rupted Box,  still  offended,  "  and  then " 

"  Then  he  became  impertinent." 

"How?" 

"  He  caught  hold  of  me,  and  kissed  me  like  a 
crazy  man." 


THE     THIRD     SEX  225 

"The  wretch!     He  didn't  do  that  to  me." 

The  sisters  sat  opposite  each  other,  glaring 
across  the  table  with  angry  eyes. 

"  I  lent  him  three  hundred  marks,"  growled 
Box. 

"  I  got  off  with  twenty,"  triumphed  Martha. 
"  And  you  think  you  understand  men.  Oh, 
dearie  me!  " 

"  And  you,  my  dear,"  was  Box's  return  thrust, 
"  you'll  never  capture  a  man  anyway.  You 
freeze  them  off,  your  manner  kills  all  serious 
feeling  in  those  whom  you  attract  with  your  pretty 
eyes." 

"  What  I  do  with  my  eyes  is  my  own  affair," 
answered  Martha,  frostily.  "  I'm  in  no  mood 
to  be  scolded  by  you,  just  because  I  don't  like  a 
certain  man.  Take  him  yourself  and  welcome." 

They  talked  at  each  other  in  this  strain  for 
some  little  while,  and  when  the  servant  came  to 
call  them  to  supper  she  found  them  sitting  by 
the  table  with  reddened  faces.  Miss  Martha's 
beautiful  eyes  showed  traces  of  tears. 

Martha  was  much  too  excited  to  eat,  and 
Hildegard  eased  her  feelings  by  sending  word  to 
the  cook  that  no  one  could  eat  such  a  mess.  But 
she  did  manage  to  eat  it,  and  when  her  hunger 
was  appeased,  her  good  temper  returned  and  she 


226  THE     THIRD     SEX 

was  disposed  to  look  at  the  adventure  from  the 
funny  side.  Just  then  the  door-bell  rang. 

"Who  can  it  be  so  late?  "  grunted  Box,  look- 
ing at  the  clock.  Their  more  intimate  friends 
were  all  in  the  country,  so  they  listened  atten- 
tively to  the  sounds  outside.  The  girl  returned 
and  announced  that  a  gentleman  wished  to  speak 
to  the  ladies  alone  about  an  important  matter, 
official  business.  The  sisters  looked  at  each 
other,  then  Box  decided  to  have  the  man 
shown  in. 

An  elderly  gentleman  with  a  comfortable  em- 
bonpoint and  military  carriage  appeared  in  the 
doorway,  bowing  respectfully. 

"  You  wished  to  speak  to  us,  sir?  "  asked  Box. 
"  What  can  we  do  for  you?  " 

"Are  we  alone,  ladies?"  asked  the  stranger, 
and  as  Box  replied  in  the  affirmative,  he  turned 
to  see  that  the  servant  had  shut  the  door  behind 
her.  Then  he  came  a  step  nearer  and  asked 
softly:  "Can  we  not  go  into  the  next  room? 
Are  you  sure  the  girl  does  not  listen  at  the 
door?" 

Martha  was  alarmed :  "  Oh  dear,  what  do 
you  want  of  us?"  she  inquired  anxiously. 

The  stout  gentleman  replied  in  a  tone  that  in- 
spired confidence  in  spite  of  its  cautious  lowness: 


THE     THIRD     SEX  227 

"Don't  be  alarmed,  ladies;  my  name  is  Sedl- 
meyer,  Police  Commissioner.  I  come  on  official 
business  from  our  office." 

It  was  Box's  turn  to  grow  pale,  but  she  pulled 
herself  together  and  asked  the  officer  to  enter  the 
drawing-room.  He  accepted  her  invitation  to 
sit  down,  and  then  he  took  two  cabinet  photo- 
graphs from  his  fat,  well-filled  portfolio,  handing 
them  to  the  ladies. 

"  If  I  am  not  mistaken,"  he  observed  politely, 
"  these  are  your  pictures." 

They  were  undoubtedly  pictures  of  Hildegard 
and  Martha  Haider,  excellent  likenesses  of 
both.  Box  acknowledged  this  fact,  while  Martha 
was  unable  to  say  a  word,  her  heart  beat  so  at 
seeing  her  picture  in  the  hands  of  the  police. 

"  Do  not  alarm  yourselves,  ladies,  I  will  ex- 
plain this  at  once,"  continued  the  official,  turning 
the  leaves  of  his  note-book.  "  I  found  these  two 
photographs  to-day  in  a  bachelor  apartment  in 
the  Schellingstrasse,  where  a  certain  Baron  Raoul 
de  Kerkhove  had  lived.  The  gentleman  left 
town  yesterday,  destination  unknown.  These 
two  pictures  stood  on  his  desk,  and  as  the  ladies 
Haider  are  known  to  the  police,  most  favorably 
of  course"  (he  bowed  politely),  "I  supposed 
that  you  might  be  acquainted  with  this  gentleman 


228  THE     THIRD     SEX 

and  could  give  me  some  information  about  him." 
And  then  it  came  out  that  the  young  Baron, 
who  carried  humanity's  sorrows  about  on  his 
shoulders,  was  being  eagerly  sought  by  the  police 
of  several  Russian  and  German  university  towns, 
on  account  of  a  train  of  swindlings,  protested 
notes  and  more  such  matters.  He  was  not  a 
Baron,  nor  was  he  a  doctor  of  philosophy  nor 
even  a  landed  proprietor.  His  name  was  Van 
Kerkhoven  and  he  was  the  son  of  a  merchant  of 
Dorpat.  He  had  really  made  his  entrance  ex- 
aminations and  gone  to  several  universities  to 
study.  Everywhere  he  had  told  the  same  story 
about  his  million  ruble  lawsuit,  and  had  not  only 
swindled  many  merchants  out  of  their  goods,  but 
had  actually  persuaded  the  Dean  of  his  last  uni- 
versity to  lend  him  six  thousand  marks.  Here 
in  Munich  he  found  easy  credit  everywhere,  be- 
cause of  his  assertion  that  he  was  soon  to  marry 
one  of  the  firm  of  Moritz  Haider's  Daughters. 
His  story  found  ready  belief  as  he  was  seen 
everywhere  with  the  ladies,  and  had  made  friends 
in  the  best  circles.  A  notice  from  the  Russian 
police  started  inquiries  in  Munich,  and  his  arrest 
was  to  follow  the  very  next  day. 

These  startling  revelations  threw  Miss  Mar- 
tha into  tears.     She  had  been  kissed  by  a  crim- 


THE     THIRD     SEX  229 

inal!  But  Box  took  it  in  a  more  practical  fash- 
ion. 

"  The  man  sat  here  not  an  hour  ago,  on  the 
very  chair  you  are  sitting  on  now,  sir.  He  bor- 
rowed three  hundred  marks  of  me,  and  left  me 
this  ring  and  an  offer  of  marriage  as  security. 
Please  take  the  ring  as  an  asset.  He  will  prob- 
ably seek  to  get  away  as  quickly  as  possible  with 
the  money,  so  I  should  suggest  watching  the  rail- 
way stations.  It  may  be  possible  that  he  is  still 
in  town." 

The  commissary  thanked  them  and  started  off 
in  a  hurry. 

"  Isn't  it  strange,"  said  Box  a  little  later,  "  that 
such  a  well-educated,  and  evidently  well- 
brought-up  young  man  should  be  such  a  rascally 
swindler?  " 

"Didn't  I  suspect  it?"  triumphed  Martha. 
"  I  lent  him  only  twenty  marks.  It  was  you,  sis- 
ter dear,  who  decidedly  overrated  him." 

Neither  Mr.  van  Kerkhoven,  nor  the  twenty 
marks,  nor  the  three  hundred  marks,  were  ever 
seen  again. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

SEVERAL  weeks  had  elapsed.  The  thou- 
sands of  North  German  tourists  who  poured 
through  Munich  on  their  way  to  the  Alps  had 
now  poured  back  again  to  their  flatlands,  paying 
the  customary  toll  of  many  glasses  of  Hofbrau 
beer.  The  city  took  on  its  stranger-free  appear- 
ance once  more,  which  however  had  little  effect 
on  its  classical  dirtiness  in  rainy  weather.  Nor- 
mal performances  at  normal  prices  could  again 
be  seen  in  the  Court  Theater.  But  few  went  to 
see  them,  for  October  seemed  to  have  set  itself 
the  task  of  making  good  the  sins  of  the  capricious 
summer.  The  lecture  rooms  of  the  various 
higher  institutions  of  learning  showed  yawning 
emptiness,  although  the  new  term  had  officially 
begun.  And  of  all  the  interesting  people  whom 
the  conscientious  scribe  of  these  chronicles  has 
had  the  honor  to  introduce  to  the  gentle  reader, 
only  Moritz  Haider's  energetic  daughters,  who 
could  not  leave  their  business,  and  Dr.  Reith- 
meyer,  were  in  town. 

ago 


THE    THIRD    SEX  231 

Since  the  world  of  science  demanded  a  new 
and  irrefutable  proof  of  his  ability  to  practice  a 
professorship  of  Germanics,  Dr.  Reithmeyer  had 
spent  the  summer  months  writing  an  epoch-mak- 
ing work  on  Councillor  von  Goethe's  "  Meyer  of 
Westphalia."  It  will  be  remembered  that  His 
Excellency,  on  Sunday,  February  the  I5th,  1824, 
remarked  to  Eckermann  that  Mr.  Meyer  of 
Westphalia  was  a  very  promising  young  man  and 
had  written  poems  that  aroused  expectation.  He 
was  only  eighteen  years  old,  and  remarkably 
clever.  To  find  the  scientific  data  of  this  Meyer 
of  Westphalia  was  indeed  a  task  worthy  of  much 
noble  sweat. 

Dr.  Josef  Reithmeyer  had  succeeded  in  getting 
a  list  of  all  male  Meyers  of  the  better  class  born 
in  Westphalia  in  1806,  and  in  discovering  that  of 
these,  twenty-seven  had  written  poems.  He  had 
furthermore  succeeded  in  collecting  one  hundred 
and  thirty-nine  poems  which  had  been  written  by 
these  twenty-seven  Meyers,  and  had  printed  them 
in  his  highly  interesting  book.  In  the  second, 
the  critical,  part  of  his  work,  he  had  endeavored 
to  judge  these  poems  from  the  point  of  view  of 
Goethe's  taste  and  opinions  in  1824,  in  the  hope 
of  thus  discovering  the  true  Meyer  of  West- 
phalia. This  method  of  reasoning  had  led  him 


232  THE    THIRD     SEX 

to  the  conclusion  that  it  was  surely  Mr.  Karl 
Leberecht  Gottwald  Gneomar  Meyer  from  Haspe. 
Unfortunately  there  were  no  data  of  the  later 
life  of  the  poet  to  be  found,  except  the  facts  that 
he  had  studied  in  Bonn,  and  had  been  carried  off 
by  delirium  tremens  in  his  ninth  term.  Dr.  Josef 
Reithmeyer  made  the  clever  assertion  that  just 
this  last  fact  was  the  clearest  proof  of  the  identity 
of  Karl  Leberecht  Gneomar  Meyer  with  the  tal- 
ented Meyer  of  Westphalia;  for  he  had  evi- 
dently never  been  able  to  recover  from  the 
intoxication  into  which  the  praise  of  the  great 
man  would  naturally  throw  a  youth  of  eighteen. 
The  regular  professor  of  his  branch  in  the 
Munich  University,  to  whom  the  young  licentiate 
had  shown  the  advance  sheets  of  his  work,  con- 
gratulated him  most  heartily  on  his  performance, 
and  promised  his  whole  influence  for  the  winning 
of  the  desired  professorship. 

And  now  that  our  good  Dr.  Josef  Reithmeyer 
had  thus  laid  the  corner  stone  of  his  career,  there 
was  nothing  more  to  prevent  him  from  carrying 
out  the  desire  of  his  heart,  the  wish  to  be  joined 
in  marriage  to  his  beautiful  friend,  Claire  de 
Fries.  She  had  been  visiting  her  parents  in 
Friesland  while  he  was  collecting  information  in 
Westphalia,  and  had  now  returned  to  Zurich. 


THE     THIRD     SEX  233 

The  wedding  was  to  have  taken  place  in  Munich 
before  the  winter  term  commenced.  But  there 
were  unexpected  delays  in  securing  the  necessary 
papers,  and  in  the  printing  of  the  great  book 
"  Goethe's  Meyer  of  Westphalia  "  as  well,  so 
that  they  finally  decided  to  be  married  in  Zurich 
towards  the  close  of  October.  Claire  de  Fries 
had  insisted  that  the  marriage  must  not  interrupt 
her  studies,  and  Dr.  Reithmeyer  had  agreed  to 
this  condition  with  a  sigh,  but  with  the  secret  hope 
that  she  might  think  otherwise  after  the  wedding. 
It  wasn't  in  the  least  necessary  that  she  should 
earn  her  own  living  by  the  practice  of  medicine. 
She  had  money  enough  to  live  on  very  com- 
fortably, and  he  also  had  an  income  that  would 
have  sufficed  him  even  as  licentiate.  If  they  put 
their  revenues  together  they  could  live  most 
agreeably  with  no  care  for  the  future.  For,  as 
aforesaid,  "  Meyer  of  Westphalia "  made  the 
professorship  certain,  and  his  author  had  a  right 
to  expect  other  epoch-making  works  of  himself, 
which  would  bring  him  not  only  new  academic 
honors,  but  also  the  means  to  permit  himself  a 
progeny. 

It  was  strange  that  just  these  two  should  have 
come  together:  Claire  de  Fries,  with  her  per- 
sistent zeal  for  science  in  spite  of  her  otherwise 


234          THE    THIRD    SEX 

phlegmatic  disposition,  and  Josef  Reithmeyer, 
who  otherwise  than  in  his  love,  was  a  real  little 
Philistine.  Without  any  display  of  passion  on 
her  part,  her  statuesque  beauty  had  quite  dishev- 
eled his  usually  correct  thinking  and  feeling.  In 
these  disordered  moments  he  had  written  poems 
which  were  better  than  those  of  the  celebrated 
Meyer  of  Westphalia;  and  these  poems  had  so 
worked  on  the  sober  North  German  common- 
sense  mind  of  the  Zurich  student,  that  she  had 
unhesitatingly  given  herself  to  the  passionate 
writer,  with  no  inner  struggle,  just  from  a  warm 
sense  of  duty.  She  was  far  from  imagining  him 
to  be  the  fulfillment  of  her  romantic  longing,  or 
the  personification  of  her  ideal  of  manhood.  In 
fact  the  longing  for  a  man  had  never  troubled 
her,  and  her  ideal  was  to  become  a  good  physi- 
cian. All  that  was  purely  womanly  in  her  nature 
found  satisfaction  in  the  knowledge  that  she 
could  make  someone  happy,  and  so  she  remained 
unshaken  in  her  fidelity  to  the  only  lover  for 
whom  she  had  time  in  her  ardent  studies. 

The  wedding  was  to  take  place  on  the  twenty- 
sixth  of  October,  at  eleven  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing. The  intimate  friends  who  were  to  witness 
the  ceremony  as  assistants  to  both  parties  arrived 
on  the  twenty-fifth.  Arnulf  Rau  and  his  wife, 


THE    THIRD     SEX  235 

who  had  been  spending  several  weeks  in  Switzer- 
land, took  rooms  in  one  of  the  more  aristocratic 
hotels,  and  invited  the  beautiful  bride  to  pass  the 
evening  with  them.  Miss  Echdeler,  president 
of  the  Association  for  the  Evolution  of  the  Fem- 
inine Psyche,  arrived  on  the  same  day  from 
Karlsruhe,  where  a  convention  of  noted  leaders 
of  the  Woman  Movement  had  just  taken  place. 
Mrs.  Stummer  and  her  inseparable  friend,  Miss 
Wiesbeck,  were  in  Zurich,  studying  at  the  Uni- 
versity. The  bridegroom  himself  did  not  arrive 
until  evening,  accompanied  by  Miss  Hildegard 
Haider  who  had  left  her  sister  in  charge  of  the 
office  for  several  days,  and  by  an  old  college 
chum,  Referendar  Kuno  Kulicke.  For  two  terms 
Josef  Reithmeyer  had  been  a  member  of  the 
corps,  and  had  been  the  Fuchs  of  said  Kuno  Ku- 
licke. The  latter  had  twice  flunked  his  Assessor 
examination,  but  his  unchanged  fidelity  was  the 
proof  of  so  much  beauty  of  heart  that  his  esthetic 
younger  friend  forgave,  for  its  sake,  his  other- 
wise manifold  physical,  moral,  and  mental  de- 
fects. 

The  three  took  quarters  in  a  hotel  which  was 
characterized  more  by  moderate  prices  than  by 
elegance  or  pomp.  It  was  a  most  sympathetic 
touch  on  the  part  of  Dr.  Reithmeyer  that  he 


236  THE    THIRD    SEX 

would  not  appear  on  the  scene  of  the  ceremony 
until  the  last  moment.  His  delicacy  revolted 
against  what  might  seem  like  a  forcing  himself 
on  his  beloved  before  the  wedding,  for  in  her 
position  as  bride  she  seemed  to  him  to  have  a 
new  right  to  his  protection.  He  made  a  formal 
call  the  evening  of  his  arrival  in  all  the  glory  of 
black  frock  coat,  high  hat  and  clean  collar,  and 
not  finding  her  at  home,  left  his  card  in  the  most 
conventional  manner. 

There  was  to  be  a  simple  wedding  dinner  at 
one  o'clock  in  a  restaurant  where,  in  the  earlier 
days  of  his  sojourn  in  Zurich,  Dr.  Reithmeyer 
had  a  flirtation  with  a  waitress.  The  esthetic 
under-current  in  the  character  of  this  excellent 
young  scholar  would  have  been  offended  by  the 
choice  of  a  house  with  which  he  had  not  the  least 
psychic  relation. 

The  morning  of  the  twenty-sixth  dawned  wet, 
cold,  and  disagreeable.  The  wind  that  drove  the 
rain  in  wet  masses  across  the  lake  seemed  to  have 
first  thoroughly  cooled  itself  off  on  the  Alpine 
ice-fields.  Shortly  after  ten  o'clock  the  bride- 
groom, with  his  assistants,  Box  and  Kuno,  started 
out  under  their  umbrellas  to  fetch  the  fair  bride. 
The  men  hid  their  patent  leather  shoes  in  rub- 
bers, and  had  their  trousers  turned  up,  while  Box 


THE     THIRD     SEX  237 

pinned  up  her  velvet  skirt  to  the  limit  allowed 
by  decency.  The  three  were  greatly  astonished 
to  find  the  bride  not  at  home. 

"  Where  can  she  be?  "  cried  Box,  in  moral  in- 
dignation. "  A  bride  needs  at  least  an  hour  for 
her  toilette,  and  especially  anyone  as  slow  as 
Claire  is." 

"  Holy  Cross,  our  young  lady's  getting  mar- 
ried?" cried  the  fat  little  landlady,  opening  her 
eyes  wide  in  astonishment. 

"Yes,  and  the  ceremony  is  set  for  eleven; 
didn't  she  say  anything  to  you  about  it?"  asked 
Dr.  Reithmeyer  nervously. 

"  Not  a  living  word.  She's  off  to  the  hospital, 
just  like  every  other  day;  she  didn't  say  nothing 
of  a  wedding.  Nay,  nay,  but  she's  a  queer 
piece!" 

The  bridegroom  stared  helplessly  at  Box,  and 
Box  stared  equally  helplessly  at  Mr.  Kuno  Ku- 
licke,  while  the  Herr  Referendar  himself  sought 
a  support  for  his  fixed  and  serious  gaze  on  the 
little  landlady's  enormous  bosom.  The  three 
stood  there  in  the  corridor  feeling  that  they  had 
been  deceived  and  betrayed,  while  three  dreary 
rivulets  from  their  umbrellas  sadly  sought  a  level. 
Then  the  bell  rang  and  Miss  Echdeler,  Mrs. 
Stummer  and  Miss  Wiesbeck  appeared.  These 


238  THE     THIRD     SEX 

ladies  were  equally  astonished  that  the  bride  was 
not  in  her  room  an  hour  before  the  wedding,  al- 
though they  knew  that  Claire  de  Fries  would  not 
be  likely  to  consider  the  ceremony  for  the  legal- 
izing of  her  love  as  anything  particularly  solemn 
or  sentimental.  Miss  Wiesbeck  offered  to  take 
a  cab  at  the  bridegroom's  expense,  and  drive  to 
the  Pathological  Institute,  or,  if  the  bride  were 
not  there,  to  the  University  Clinic.  It  was  ar- 
ranged that  she  should  bring  the  bride  to  her 
rooms  as  soon  as  she  found  her,  hurry  her  dress- 
ing, and  then  join  the  others  at  the  restaurant 
where  the  dinner  was  to  be,  as  it  was  near  the 
Registrar's  office.  When  she  had  started,  the 
rest  of  the  little  company  made  their  way  on  foot 
to  the  restaurant  and  sat  down  in  the  public  room. 
"  Unsympathetic  place,"  said  Miss  Echdeler, 
shivering.  And  she  was  quite  right.  The  high 
bare  room,  painted  in  orange-yellow,  was  full  of 
stale  odors  of  tobacco  smoke,  food  and  drink,  as 
the  heavy  rain  had  apparently  made  the  morning 
airing  impossible.  The  walls  were  greasy,  and  a 
moist  precipitation  of  dust  and  smoke  had  drawn 
a  thick  network  of  dirty  furrows  over  them.  The 
rain  still  ran  gray  off  the  high  window  panes,  al- 
though it  had  been  working  at  the  crust  of  dirt 
for  hours.  Two  large  excruciatingly  indifferent 


THE     THIRD     SEX  239 

oil  paintings  and  several  high  mirrors  were  as 
little  able  to  arouse  an  impression  of  elegant  com- 
fort as  were  the  red  plush  sofas  scattered  here 
and  there. 

They  ordered  beer  and  a  trifle  to  eat,  and  when 
the  girl  brought  the  drinks,  Dr.  Reithmeyer 
asked  what  had  become  of  Lisel.  The  unsym- 
pathetic waitress  didn't  know,  the  lady  at  the  bar 
hadn't  the  faintest  idea  either,  anyway  the  pres- 
ent proprietor  had  been  there  only  a  year  —  all 
of  which  tore  the  slight  psychic  bonds  to  pieces 
that  had  drawn  Dr.  Reithmeyer  to  this  house. 
He  could  read  in  the  faces  of  his  friends  that 
they  did  not  approve  of  his  choice,  so  he  felt 
called  upon  to  offer  some  explanation. 

"  Yes,  I  must  say  it  does  not  look  attractive 
here  to-day,"  he  turned  to  Miss  Echdeler.  "  But 
what  could  I  do?  I  used  to  flirt  with  a  waitress 
here,  Lisel  was  her  name;  then  I  met  Claire  and 
began  to  write  poems.  So  I  had  little  chance  of 
gaining  a  more  intimate  knowledge  of  restaurant 
life  in  Zurich." 

Smiles  that  were  more  or  less  dreary,  and  slow 
nodding,  was  all  the  answer  he  received.  Then 
Kuno  Kulicke  felt  it  devolving  upon  him  to  ward 
off  utter  boredom,  and  offered  Hildegard  "  a 
half."  But  Box  possessed  so  little  understand- 


24o  THE     THIRD     SEX 

ing  of  this  honor  that  she  did  not  even  say 
"  Prosit,"  although  Mr.  Kulicke  carried  out  his 
part  of  the  ceremony  with  the  utmost  politeness. 
And  when  Dr.  Reithmeyer  mildly  suggested  that 
this  student  foolishness  was  out  of  place  in  the 
presence  of  ladies,  he  received  a  sharp  order  to 
"  get  into  his  glass." 

"  One  is  one,  two  is  two,  three  is  — "  Dr. 
Reithmeyer  responded  to  please  him,  and  drank 
until  he  was  allowed  to  stop,  then  wiped  his  beard 
and  murmured  an  audible:  "  Such  childishness." 

"  Ladies  and  gentlemen,  did  you  hear  that  ? 
My  *  Fuchs '  said  *  Childishness.'  Childishness  is 
Touche,  it  is  worse  even  than  *  Foolishness.' 
Seppl-Fuchs,  when  will  you  be  ready?" 

Dr.  Reithmeyer  laughed,  and  Box  tried  to  calm 
the  offended  Referendar  by  explaining  that  any- 
thing connected  with  children  would  naturally  be 
in  the  thoughts  of  a  bridegroom  on  his  wedding 
day. 

A  little  pause  followed  this  witty  remark,  which 
was  broken  by  Mrs.  Stummer  with  the  declara- 
tion: "Ladies  and  gentlemen,  if  you  continue 
to  bore  each  other  in  this  fashion,  I  see  myself 
compelled  to  journey  to  the  nearest  pastry  shop 
to  drink  a  cup  of  chocolate." 

The  bridegroom  grumbled:     "It  seems  to  be 


THE     THIRD     SEX  241 

the  general  desire  to  spoil  my  appetite  as  well  as 
your  own.  It  is  certainly  unpardonably  incon- 
siderate of  Claire  to  leave  us  in  the  lurch  like 
this.  She  is  probably  reveling  in  a  post-mortem 
on  her  wedding  day,  while  we  are  eating  sausages 
here.  I  wish  I  had  remained  true  to  Lisel,  then 
I  might  have  been  divorced  already.  Whereas 
now  there  doesn't  seem  to  be  much  prospect  of 
my  getting  married  at  all." 

Miss  Echdeler  and  Mrs.  Stummer  laughed 
softly,  and  Kuno  Kulicke  endeavored  to  continue 
his  student  fun  by  starting  a  song,  but  no  one 
joined  him  and  he  finally  gave  it  up  in  despair. 
Scarcely  five  minutes  passed  during  which  some 
one  of  them  did  not  look  at  the  clock.  It  was 
now  ten  minutes  before  eleven,  the  rain  had 
ceased,  the  sun  broke  the  thick  mass  of  clouds 
and  a  few  rays  fell  through  the  clean  washed 
windows  on  the  waiting  wedding  party  in  the 
orange-yellow  room.  This  glorious  moment 
would  have  been  most  auspicious  for  the  holy 
ceremony,  but  the  bride  was  still  absent.  The 
bridegroom's  little  touch  of  humor  had  vanished 
again,  and  a  nervous  impatience  seized  him.  He 
ran  out  into  the  rain,  bareheaded,  in  his  patent 
leather  shoes.  Carriage  after  carriage  passed, 
but  not  one  halted  in  front  of  the  restaurant. 


242  THE     THIRD     SEX 

Then  he  went  in  again  and  asked  for  the  "  Jour- 
nal Amusant."  The  others  followed  his  example 
and  buried  themselves  in  newspapers  and  maga- 
zines out  of  respect  for  his  sorrow.  No  one  said 
a  word.  Kuno  Kulicke  wreathed  himself  in  smoke 
and  ordered  a  third  glass  of  beer.  The  leaves 
of  the  papers  rattled  now  and  then  as  they  were 
turned,  and  the  girl  washing  cups  at  the  sideboard 
clattered  with  her  dishes,  otherwise  it  was  as  pain- 
fully quiet  as  in  the  waiting  room  of  a  physician. 

At  a  quarter  past  eleven  Dr.  Reithmeyer  threw 
down  his  "  Journal  Amusant "  with  an  angry  ges- 
ture, and  growled  between  clenched  teeth:  "If 
she  doesn't  want  me,  very  well,  then  it's  all  over 
between  us.  I  do  not  care  to  be  made  a  fool  of 
in  this  way." 

Kuno  Kulicke  threw  down  his  "  Wiener  Floh  " 
with  equal  vehemence  and  said:  "This  is  really 
too  much!  The  young  lady  is  an  academic  citi- 
zeness,  but  she  doesn't  seem  to  know  the  first  rule 
of  Comment!  " 

At  this  moment  the  door  opened  and  Miss 
Wiesbeck  rushed  in  breathlessly.  The  entire 
company  sprang  up  to  meet  her. 

"  Is  she  there?  "  they  all  cried  at  once. 

"Yes,"  Miss  Wiesbeck  panted,  "she's  out 
there  in  the  cab." 


THE     THIRD     SEX  243 

"Dressed?"  asked  Box. 

"  No,  just  as  she  was.  But  it's  all  right,  she 
looks  real  nice,  and  she  says  she  put  on  clean  linen 
to-day,  anyway.  There  was  an  operation  in  the 
Women's  Clinic  which  she  couldn't  possibly  miss, 
it  was  so  interesting.  But  hurry  up  now  or  the 
Registrar  will  be  gone." 

The  little  lunch  was  already  paid  for,  so  no 
time  was  lost  in  starting.  Dr.  Reithmeyer  sprang 
into  the  cab  with  his  overcoat  on  his  arm  and  his 
rubbers  in  his  hand,  and  sat  down  beside  Claire. 
Box  and  the  Referendar  squeezed  themselves  onto 
the  narrow  front  seat,  as  they  were  to  be  the  wit- 
nesses. The  three  ladies  walked  on  behind,  as 
there  was  no  other  cab  to  be  seen. 

Box  and  Claire  greeted  each  other  cordially, 
and  Dr.  Reithmeyer  introduced  his  friend  Ku- 
licke.  He  would  not  look  at  her  himself,  and  did 
not  even  offer  her  his  hand. 

"  Well,  aren't  you  going  to  say  good  morn- 
ing? "  began  Claire  when  they  had  rattled  on  in 
silence  for  about  two  minutes.  She  leaned  over 
to  him  and  pushed  her  arm  through  his.  "  I  know 
it  was  horrid  of  me  to  keep  you  waiting  so,  but 
you  mustn't  begin  by  grumbling  at  me  on  our  wed- 
ding day.  You  must  not  forget  that  I  have  only 
six  months  more  before  my  examinations.  The 


244  THE     THIRD     SEX 

operating  course  is  of  the  very  highest  importance 
for  me  just  now.  One  can  get  married  any  day, 
but  an  ovariotomy  for  a  seven-pound  multilocular 
myxo-cystoma  ovarii  dextri,  with  a  uterus  bi- 
cornis,  and  pregnancy  of  the  left  horn,  is  some- 
thing that  doesn't  happen  quite  so  often.  It  was 
delicious  to  see  the  elegance  with  which  our  Pro- 
fessor worked  —  simply  superb  1  I  had  to  super- 
vise giving  the  anesthetic,  so  I  couldn't  leave  until 
the  patient  had  come  to  again.  She  will  prob- 
ably die,  but  the  operation  was  a  magnificent  suc- 
cess. You  ought  to  see  our  Professor  cut  open 
an  abdomen,  and  lay  the  intestines  to  one  side, 
as  neatly  as  a  sausage  maker  arranging  his  wares ; 
it's  simply  great !  " 

"  Oh,  stop,  you'll  make  me  ill !  "  cried  the  bride- 
groom, wringing  his  hands  in  despair.  "  I  don't 
believe  you  have  given  one  single  thought  to  the 
importance  of  this  day." 

"  To  be  honest,  I  haven't,"  she  answered 
calmly.  "  One  cannot  allow  oneself  any  distrac- 
tion before  an  operation  of  that  kind." 

The  cab  rattled  horribly  over  the  stones  and 
Dr.  Reithmeyer  screamed  to  his  friend  Kuno,  as 
he  slapped  him  on  the  knee :  "  Did  you  hear  that, 
Kuno  ?  She  calls  marriage  a  distraction !  " 

The  Referendar  made  a  face  like  a  frog  that 


THE     THIRD     SEX  245 

had  just  seen  a  crocodile  for  the  first  time.  He 
had  assisted  at  the  weddings  of  two  sisters  and 
several  cousins,  but  he  had  never  met  anything 
like  this  before.  And  yet  this  bride,  who  reveled 
in  the  memory  of  a  bloody  butchery  with  the  de- 
light of  a  Spaniard  at  a  bullfight,  was  a  beautiful 
blond  of  exquisite  figure,  made  to  be  loved.  Kuno 
stared  at  the  phenomenon  as  if  hypnotized,  while 
Box  was  highly  amused.  Here  was  a  triumph  of 
emancipation,  of  which  she,  as  fellow  woman,  was 
vastly  proud.  It  was  time  these  male  creatures 
were  taught  they  could  not  have  a  monopoly  of 
all  the  higher  interests. 

The  wagon  halted.  Box  sprang  out  first,  and 
Kuno  followed  clumsily,  opening  his  umbrella  to 
protect  the  bride,  as  it  had  begun  to  rain  again. 
The  bridegroom  got  out  last,  and  settled  with  the 
driver,  while  the  others  fled  into  the  building. 
Arnulf  Rau  and  his  wife  had  been  waiting  for 
nearly  an  hour  in  the  ante-room,  and  the  cordiality 
with  which  a  bridal  couple  are  usually  greeted  in 
such  a  place  suffered  visibly  from  the  nervous  ex- 
citement caused  by  the  delay.  The  presiding  of- 
ficial had  appeared  twice  in  the  ante-room,  ready 
to  take  his  departure,  and  had  been  persuaded  to 
remain  only  after  much  talk.  An  attendant 
rushed  to  announce  the  party,  and  the  voice  of  the 


&4*  THE     THIRD     SEX 

Registrar  within  was  heard  in  an  audible  national 
expression  of  displeasure  as  he  ordered  them 
brought  in  at  once. 

The  bridal  couple,  accompanied  by  their  wit- 
nesses and  the  Raus,  entered  the  room  without 
waiting  for  the  other  ladies  who  were  not  neces- 
sary to  the  ceremony.  The  Registrar,  a  small, 
fat,  bald-headed  gentleman  buttoned  into  a  tight 
coat,  stood  ready  behind  his  table,  and  looked  at 
them  angrily  through  his  gold  rimmed  spectacles. 
"  You  don't  seem  in  any  hurry  to  get  married," 
was  his  ungracious  welcome.  "  May  I  ask  if 
you  have  made  up  your  minds  at  last." 

"  It  was  my  fault,  sir,"  said  Claire  de  Fries  in 
her  sweetest  tones,  bowing  politely.  "  I  had  to 
assist  at  an  operation  in  the  University  Clinic,  that 
I  couldn't  possibly  miss.  It  was  an  ovariotomy  for 
multilocular  myxo-cystoma  of  the  right  ovary, 
and  just  imagine,  we  found  uterus  bicornis 
with " 

Dr.  Reithmeyer  pulled  at  his  bride's  sleeve  and 
whispered :  "  Claire,  that  really  isn't  necessary 
here!" 

"Are  you  the  bride?"  asked  the  official,  look- 
ing at  the  lady's  costume  in  surprise.  She  wore  a 
long  rubber  coat  over  her  gown,  and  a  patent- 
leather  sailor  hat  on  her  head. 


THE    THIRD     SEX  247 

She  answered  in  the  affirmative,  and  asked  for 
permission  to  lay  off  her  coat,  as  it  was  hot  in  the 
room. 

"  That  won't  be  necessary,"  grunted  the  official 
impatiently.  "  It's  all  over  in  five  minutes." 

"  Must  I  take  off  my  gloves?  "  asked  Claire. 

"Why?" 

"I  thought  —  on  account  of  the  rings." 

"  There's  no  ring  here,  all  we  want  is  your  sig- 
nature, the  rest  is  the  pastor's  business." 

"  Oh,  we  are  not  going  to  have  a  church  cere- 
mony I  "  cried  Claire  almost  indignantly. 

The  fat  little  man's  patience  gave  way  before 
the  pressure  of  his  hunger  and  the  knowledge  that 
his  favorite  dish  was  awaiting  him  at  home.  "  Get 
married  wherever  you  like,"  he  cried;  "  all  I  want 
here  is  a  plain  '  yes  '  or  *  no.'  " 

Josef  Reithmeyer  took  his  bride's  hand  and 
led  her  to  the  table.  The  Registrar  hastily  read 
off  the  papers  that  confirmed  their  reception  into 
the  honorable  company  of  the  Married.  And 
then,  without  the  slightest  pathos,  he  put  the  im- 
portant question:  "If  you  really  want  one  an- 
other, take  each  other's  right  hand  and  answer 
with  an  audible  *  yes/  " 

Dr.  Reithmeyer's  yes  was  given  with  a  touch 
of  emotion,  and  Claire  introduced  a  humorously 


248  THE    THIRD     SEX 

ironical  variation  into  the  usual  routine,  by  say- 
ing, after  a  tiny  pause,  and  with  a  good-natured 
smile:  "Well  — yes." 

Then  the  paper  was  laid  before  them  to  be 
signed,  and  when  the  bride  had  written  her  full 
name,  Claire  Reithmeyer,  born  de  Fries,  c&nd. 
med.t  in  her  stiff  proud  writing,  they  were  pro- 
nounced man  and  wife.  The  ladies  Echdeler, 
Stummer,  and  Wiesbeck  rushed  in  breathlessly 
during  the  signing,  and  were  scolded  by  the  of- 
ficial for  dirtying  the  place  with  their  dripping 
umbrellas.  Whereupon  the  guardian  of  the  holy 
institution  of  matrimony  disappeared  hastily 
through  a  second  door,  and  the  young  couple  re- 
ceived the  congratulations  of  their  friends.  The 
clerk  handed  the  bridegroom  his  certificate,  and 
received  payment,  which  completed  the  sacred  act, 
and  then  the  little  company  went  out  again  into 
the  pouring  rain.  Kuno  Kulicke  brought  up  three 
cabs,  the  Raus  and  Miss  Echdeler  got  into  the 
first;  the  young  people,  i.  e.,  Box,  Kuno,  the  ladies 
Stummer  and  Wiesbeck,  took  the  second,  and  the 
bridal  couple  were  left  to  themselves  in  the  third. 

When  finally  alone  with  his  wife,  Dr.  Reith- 
meyer laid  his  arm  timidly  about  her,  and  pressed 
her  hands  gently  without  a  word. 


THE     THIRD     SEX  249 

She  smiled  at  him  cheerfully  and  gave  him  a 
hearty  kiss.  "  Good  morning,  dearest,"  she  said 
merrily.  **  We  had  quite  forgotten  that  cere- 
mony. How  are  we,  anyhow?  Do  you  still  like 
me  just  a  little?" 

"  Oh,  you  naughty  girl,"  he  cried  tenderly  and 
pressed  her  closer.  "  You  really  don't  deserve 
that  I  should." 

They  were  silent  again  and  only  the  continued 
gentle  pressure  of  their  hands  showed  they  were 
thinking  of  each  other.  When  near  their  goal 
he  broke  the  dreamy  stillness  with  the  whisper: 
"  Tell  me  Claire,  are  you  happy?  " 

"  Oh,  yes,"  she  answered  with  beaming  eyes, 
"  I  am  to  sew  up  an  incision  all  by  myself  to-mor- 
row, for  the  very  first  time." 

"  You  are  incorrigible !  "  he  laughed,  half  in 
anger,  half  in  amusement. 

She  rubbed  his  beard  tenderly.  "  Dearest 
Seppl,  you  must  get  used  to  that  —  science  first, 
then  pleasure.  You  knew  my  conditions.  And 
now,  I'm  fearfully  hungry!  " 

The  polite  Referendar  stood  ready  with  an 
open  umbrella  when  the  wagon  halted,  the  others 
having  gone  on  upstairs  to  the  private  room.  Now 
that  Mrs.  Reithmeyer  laid  off  her  ugly  rain  coat 


25o          THE    THIRD     SEX 

and  sailor  hat,  she  looked  very  pretty,  in  spite 
of  the  simplicity  of  her  close-fitting  dark  cloth 
gown.  Mrs.  Rau  wore  a  handsome  silk  dress,  but 
none  of  the  others  had  taken  any  particular  pains 
to  make  themselves  beautiful,  so  that  the  quiet- 
ness of  the  young  wife's  toilette  was  not  too  con- 
spicuous. The  correct  Referendar  was  the  only 
one  of  the  gentlemen  in  a  full  dress  coat,  Dr. 
Reithmeyer  wearing  a  new  style  long  black  frock 
coat,  and  Arnulf  Rau  a  dinner  jacket.  The  table 
was  neatly  and  prettily  set,  without  any  attempt 
at  pomp,  and  was  served  by  the  head  waiter  and 
the  unsympathetic  girl.  The  menu  consisted  of 
crayfish  soup,  trout,  truffled  capon,  a  pudding,  and 
ice  cream.  The  champagne  was  served  with  the 
pudding  and  the  company  had  warmed  up  by  that 
time.  Arnulf  Rau  was  expected  to  make  the  main 
speech  of  the  occasion.  His  wife  had  already  let 
fall  a  hint  that  he  was  prepared  to  be  called  upon. 
It  was,  therefore,  with  no  little  surprise  that  the 
company  saw  the  bridegroom  rise  and  touch  his 
knife  to  his  glass.  No  one  had  ever  heard  him 
make  a  speech,  and  his  preliminary  embarrass- 
ment made  them  fear  a  mishap.  He  asked  the 
servants  to  withdraw  and  began  timidly,  in  a  voice 
that  quickly  grew  firmer,  to  recite  the  following 
verses : 


THE    THIRD    SEX  251 

I  bid  you  welcome  on  my  marriage  day, 

And  for  your  friendship  thank  you  from  my  heart. 

You  come  to  a  strange  feast  without  display, 
A  wedding  in  which  music  plays  no  part. 

And  yet  I  think,  although  our  ways  are  free, 

We  shall  not  miss  a  true  felicity. 

The  alienated  Church  we  will  restore 

To  our  own  home  and  our  own  company, 

Minus  the  black-robed  stealthy  servitor 
Of  sacred,  profitable  stupidity. 

Too  hot  this  ground  for  those  sly  slippered  feet. 

We  fear  no  hell  save  what  on  earth  we  meet. 

My  own  dear  love  has  had  to  bear  with  patience 
The  poison-tooth  of  numberless  old  aunts, 

And  from  the  circle  of  the  dear  relations 

The  shamed  one  was  expelled  with  arrogance. 

My  mother  in  the  grave  turns  on  her  side 

To  see  me  take  the  lost  one  as  my  bride. 

Before  this  day  we  challenged  heaven's  wrath, 
But  now  a  ray  of  grace  has  lit  on  us. 

The  bourgeois  world  now  ventures  on  our  path, 
With  tendered  palm  and  smiles  magnanimous. 

The  mangy  sheep  to  her  own  breast  she'll  hold, 

That  they  may  live  henceforth  in  virtue's  fold. 

As  now  I  lay  my  hands  all  reverently 

In  thanks  and  blessing  upon  this  blonde  head, — 

Long  proudly  held  against  hostility, 

In  smiling  grief,  by  my  love  comforted, — 


252  THE     THIRD     SEX 

And  in  Love's  name  pray  Sorrow  to  forbear, 
Give  all  a  friendly  amen  to  my  prayer. 

Be  you  the  priests  our  union  to  uphold. 

As  you  are  human,  you  are  reverend, 
Because  your  heart-beats  ring  like  bells  of  gold 

In  sympathy  with  stranger  or  with  friend. 
He  who  endures  the  darts  by  malice  sent 
Wins  for  himself  the  truest  sacrament. 

The  last  two  stanzas  were  uttered  in  deep  emo- 
tion, the  speaker  holding  back  his  tears  with  dif- 
ficulty. When  he  had  finished  his  right  hand  lay 
on  the  beautiful  Claire's  golden  curls.  She 
turned  her  head  under  the  slight  pressure,  looked 
up  at  him,  and  they  gazed  long  into  each  other's 
eyes.  Then  the  young  wife  raised  her  arms  to 
her  lover  with  a  graceful  unconscious  movement, 
drew  him  down  to  her  and  kissed  him  on  the  lips. 
It  was  so  simple  and  so  natural,  and  yet  it  seemed 
like  some  sacred  ceremony  in  a  holy  place.  The 
others  rose  and  touched  glasses  with  the  young 
couple,  in  the  silence  of  a  general  emotion. 

Then  the  waiter  and  the  unsympathetic  girl  en- 
tered with  the  ice  cream.  Arnulf  Rau  ate  tiny 
pieces  of  it  with  a  heavily  furrowed  brow.  Reith- 
meyer  had  stolen  some  of  what  he  was  about  to 
say,  and  he  had  to  make  hurried  changes  in  his 
speech.  But  when  the  servants  had  gone  out 


THE     THIRD     SEX  253 

again,  he  rose  and  touched  his,  glass.  They  all 
settled  themselves  comfortably  in  their  chairs  as 
one  does  when  the  curtain  rises  in  a  theater,  for 
an  interesting  speech  might  be  expected  from  Ar- 
nulf  Rau.  And  he  spoke: 
"  Honored  and  Dear  Friends : 

"  We  have  just  seen  a  civil  ceremony  per- 
formed in  dreary  sobriety,  and  pouring  rain  helped 
to  wash  away  any  beauty  we  might  have  expected 
from  this  occasion.  But  our  dear  friend  Josef 
Reithmeyer  has  come  to  his  own  aid  and  to  the 
aid  of  us  all,  and  has  shed  the  brightness  of  his 
verses  as  a  shining  wedding  torch  over  this  sim- 
ple festival.  And  that  is  just  what  is  remarkable 
in  this  informal  ceremony,  that  it  receives  its 
beauty  and  its  sacredness  from  itself  alone,  with- 
out the  help  of  the  church  that  looks  so  coldly  on 
the  fate  of  the  individual,  and  without  asking  aid 
from  the  customs  of  society,  which  set  the  same 
pomp  and  turmoil  as  a  seal  on  the  union  of  true 
love,  or  on  the  most  dastardly  money-bargain  be- 
tween man  and  woman. 

"  Our  friends,  Josef  Reithmeyer  and  Claire  de 
Fries,  have  given  themselves  the  blessing,  and 
they  have  won  a  right  to  do  so.  They  are  of  the 
Community  of  the  Free  Ones,  conscious  that  they 
are  responsible  to  themselves  alone  for  what  they 


254  THE     THIRD     SEX 

do.  They  have  tried  themselves  before  entering 
into  this  union  and  their  love  has  not  been  found 
wanting.  And  if  this  love  is  called  a  marriage 
only  from  to-day  on,  they  can  rest  in  the  proud 
assurance  that  it  will  prove  a  true  marriage,  in- 
dissoluble in  that  their  souls  will  grow  ever  more 
together  in  mutual  understanding  and  in  mutual 
forgiveness.  The  last  seems  to  me  the  most  im- 
portant, for  we  poor  mortals  have  always  some- 
thing to  forgive  one  another  in  that  no  two  wills 
can  ever  take  the  selfsame  road.  I  will  not  talk 
to  you  of  love  to-day,  my  friends ;  that  love  is  best 
of  which  least  is  said,  and  there  is  something  else 
in  my  heart.  I,  who  have  given  the  expression, 
*  The  Third  Sex,'  to  the  world,  find  in  this  wedding 
something  of  symptomatic  importance.  In  the 
world  of  the  Dead,  of  those  already  dead  in  her 
eyes,  i.  e.,  her  family  and  all  the  other  dear  fam- 
ilies in  the  herd  of  the  Unawakened,  our  friend 
Claire  is  called  an  emancipated  woman.  She  is 
looked  upon  as  a  woman  who  has  thrown  aside  all 
modesty  belonging  to  her  sex  to  fight  with  man 
for  a  livelihood  in  his  own  field  —  nay  more,  she 
has  also  dared  to  live  her  own  life  as  she  chose 
it,  outside  the  boundary  set  by  moral  law  for  her 
sex.  And  yet,  does  she  belong  to  the  Third  Sex  ? 
Is  she  one  of  those  human  Things,  neither  fish, 


THE     THIRD     SEX  255 

flesh,  nor  fowl,  whose  brain  can  use  its  functions 
only  for  the  winning  of  a  medical  diploma?  You 
women,  who  are  proud  of  what  your  sister  has 
already  achieved  in  her  struggle  for  the  recog- 
nition of  her  own  free  will,  you  will  say,  perhaps, 
that  she  is  a  Super-Woman,  who  has  conquered 
the  weakness  of  her  sex  and  the  longing  for  man's 
protection.  But  I  say  to  you  as  a  man,  and  every 
man  who  knows  her  will  say  the  same,  that  she  is 
neither  a  man-woman  nor  a  thing-woman,  but  sim- 
ply a  woman,  undeniably  the  second  sex.  Her 
whole  being  breathes  the  charm  of  the  true 
woman,  and  it  would  not  be  possible  for  her  to  go 
through  life  without  love.  She  shall  be  for  us 
the  proof  that  a  woman  may  be  all  woman  and 
yet  be  a  free  human  being;  that  she  may  be  a  lov- 
ing wife  to  the  man  of  her  choice,  and  yet  live 
her  own  mental  life  and  fill  her  own  independent 
place. 

"  Our  friend  Josef  Reithmeyer  will  not  be  of- 
fended if  I  refuse  to  create  a  new  sex  in  his  honor. 
I  do  not  even  count  him  among  the  Super-Men. 
Seppl  dear,  you  are  just  an  ordinary,  every-day 
man.  You  have  devoted  your  services  to  the  in- 
terest of  the  state,  and  to  leading  growing  youth 
to  the  springs  of  knowledge  and  beauty  in  our 
literature.  You  have  always  done  your  duty  well 


256  THE     THIRD     SEX 

and  never  aimed  at  the  Boundless.  But  you  have 
had  the  courage  of  your  convictions,  and  that  has 
raised  you  from  the  Herd  and  stamped  you  as  a 
Free  Man.  And  you  have  found  the  strongest 
and  deepest  possibilities  of  your  soul  in  your  love. 
We  all  know  that  you  are  inwardly  freer  than  you 
appear,  and  that  you  have  bent  to  the  forms  of 
morality  and  custom  for  superficial  reasons  alone, 
and  because  you  knew  that  these  forms  could  not 
injure  your  love.  The  best  we  can  wish  for  your 
marriage  is  that  it  may  be  true  and  good  in  spite 
of  the  fact  that  it  is  a  marriage.  And  when  you 
are  a  Professor  and  begin  to  grow  too  tame,  then 
Madame  Claire  must  stir  you  up  to  remember 
your  courage.  It  is  said  that  every  true  woman 
is  nearer  nature  than  we  are,  and  that  she  never 
loses  something  of  her  original  wildness. 

"  But  what  I  wish  most  particularly  to  say  to 
you  on  this  important  day,  is  that  you  are  chosen 
to  work  through  example  against  the  growth  of 
that  true  Third  Sex,  the  existence  of  which  I  once 
made  clear  to  you;  against  those  weakling  mascu- 
line souls  in  unattractive  female  forms,  which  have 
set  their  stupid  pride  in  killing  the  holy  longing 
within  themselves,  in  mocking  at  the  rights  of  na- 
ture, while  babbling  of  their  rights  to  work  at  the 
Tower  of  Culture.  Unhappy  souls  in  Purgatory, 


THE     THIRD     SEX  257 

for  whom  no  one  prays,  that  is  the  Third  Sex, 
created  by  wrong  social  conditions  and  misunder- 
stood talk  of  emancipation.  You  two,  however, 
are  to  show  to  them  that  are  wandering  in  Dark- 
ness, that  it  is  possible  to  be  a  sex  being,  and  yet 
a  free  modern  mind.  Love  one  another,  beget 
strong  boys  and  girls,  nourish  them  with  the  food 
of  your  wisdom  and  your  experience,  and  give 
them  your  weapons  for  the  fight  against  stupidity 
and  tradition.  The  boys'  fresh  hardihood  shall 
strengthen  the  maidens'  courage,  and  the  girls' 
gentleness  shall  soften  the  brutality  of  the  boys' 
pride  of  vigor. 

"  Then  you  will  bring  up  a  race  of  Free  Ones, 
which  is  not  ashamed  of  its  double  character,  and 
does  not  make  an  absurd  bone  of  contention  in 
the  precedence  of  the  trousers.  Sepp  and  Claire, 
beloved  friends,  I  greet  you  as  the  ancestors  of  a 
new  and  glorious  race!  In  this  sense,  hip,  hip, 
hurrah!" 

The  toast  was  received  with  rejoicings,  and  Ar- 
nulf  Rau  was  complimented  on  his  superb  oratory. 
Laughter,  jokes,  and  serious  debates  on  the  sub- 
ject filled  the  room  with  merry  noise,  and  this 
unique  wedding  dinner  ended  in  a  burst  of  jol- 
lity, clinking  of  glasses,  reddened  faces,  and 
clouds  of  tobacco  smoke. 


258  THE     THIRD     SEX 

In  the  midst  of  the  wildest  noise  Kuno  Kulicke 
asked  his  neighbor  Box  if  this  were  not  the  mo- 
ment to  propose  a  toast  to  the  ladies,  and  re- 
ceived the  startling  answer  that  there  were  no 
ladies  present,  only  men  and  women.  He 
thought  that  over  for  a  while,  and  then  he  sug- 
gested that  no  one  had  as  yet  thought  of  men- 
tioning the  revered  parents  and  parents-in-law. 
His  official  conscience  would  not  let  him  rest. 
But  Box  foresaw  a  fiasco  for  the  good  Referendar 
and  a  possible  spoiling  of  the  fun  for  all  the  com- 
pany, if  she  let  him  follow  the  promptings  of  his 
demon.  So  she  rose  herself,  and  in  a  few  well- 
put  words  toasted  the  messenger  from  another 
world,  who  had  not  feared  to  leave  the  peace  of 
his  well-ordered  opinions  to  assist  his  friend 
against  the  very  doubtful  company  in  which  he 
now  moved:  a  glass  to  the  amiable  and  cour- 
ageous Herr  Referendar  Kuno  Kulicke! 

The  feted  one  had  no  time  to  answer,  for  a 
general  departure  was  made  in  a  few  moments. 
The  company  adjourned  to  a  cafe  and  closed  the 
evening  with  a  visit  to  a  better  class  concert,  that 
the  auspicious  day  might  end  in  harmony. 

But  even  then  there  was  a  tiny  cloud  on  the 
sky  of  matrimonial  bliss  for  our  good  Josef  Reith- 
meyer. 


THE     THIRD     SEX  259 

All  his  endeavors  to  persuade  his  young  wife 
to  take  ever  so  short  a  wedding  journey  were 
fruitless.  She  promised  to  visit  him  during  the 
Christmas  vacation  and  to  beautify  his  bachelor 
home  by  her  presence  there  for  two  whole  weeks, 
but  otherwise  she  was  to  remain  a  wife  in  absentia 
until  after  her  examinations. 

So  Dr.  Reithmeyer  set  out  the  next  day,  with- 
out his  wife  and  in  the  company  of  Hildegard 
Haider,  who  desired  to  spend  her  little  vacation 
in  seeing  something  of  Switzerland.  The  Doc- 
tor left  Zurich,  as  he  felt  himself  unable  to  en- 
dure longer  the  pang  of  the  enforced  renuncia- 
tion. 

Box  tried  her  best  to  comfort  the  disappointed 
man,  and  to  instill  into  his  brain  the  proper  re- 
spect for  the  tremendous  energy  shown  by  his 
wife. 

"  I  don't  want  respect,  I  want  love,"  he  mut- 
tered grimly. 

Box  shrugged  her  shoulders.  "  The  speaker 
of  yesterday  was  right  —  you  are  just  an  ordi- 
nary, every-day  man." 


CHAPTER  IX 

ON  the  first  day  of  November  the  usually 
quiet  Adelgundenstrasse  in  Munich  wit- 
nessed what  was  almost  a  small-sized  riot.  At 
ten  o'clock  in  the  forenoon  the  shutters  had  been 
drawn  up  from  one  of  the  low  windows  of  a 
ground  floor  apartment,  and  a  most  unusual  sight 
stood  revealed  to  the  astonished  gaze  of  the  pass- 
ers-by. One  large  window-pane  and  a  boxed-in 
inclosure  at  the  back  made  a  show-case  of  the 
simple  window,  and  the  exhibit  therein  was  so 
new  and  so  strange  that,  as  aforesaid,  it  occa- 
sioned almost  a  riot.  And  during  the  day  many 
men,  and  particularly  many  women  of  the  better 
class  seemed  to  have  met  by  appointment  in  the 
Adelgundenstrasse,  to  stand  talking  eagerly  be- 
fore the  window. 

The  walls  of  the  show-case  were  covered  with 
handsome  materials  in  graceful  folds,  feathers 
and  artificial  flowers  strewn  carelessly  on  the  floor 
gave  the  appearance  of  a  new  sort  of  carpet,  and 
on  the  center  of  this  carpet  stood  a  tinted  Venus 


THE    THIRD     SEX  261 

de  Milo  about  eighteen  inches  high.  Around 
about  the  Venus,  on  little  easels,  or  hanging  to 
the  walls  by  golden  cords,  was  a  collection  of  deli- 
cate water  colors  in  exquisite  old  frames.  These 
pictures  all  had  for  subject  the  same  charming 
young  lady,  in  some  cases  head  and  bust  only,  with 
fantastic  and  most  becoming  hats  on  her  rich  ash- 
blond  hair,  but  mainly  in  full  length,  clad  in  cos- 
tumes that  were  tasteful  and  elegant  in  the  ex- 
treme, and  original  in  style.  Near  the  top  of 
the  glass  window  was  the  name  of  the  new  firm 
in  gold  letters: 

Lilly  v.  Robiceck, 
Modes  et  Robes. 

The  apartment  behind  the  show-case  com- 
prised four  rooms.  The  narrow  corridor,  lighted 
softly  by  the  deep  red  glow  of  an  old  silver 
church  lamp,  led  first  into  a  large  front  room,  the 
one  back  of  the  show  window.  Colored  shades 
softened  the  daylight  agreeably,  walls  and  ceiling 
were  covered  with  flowered  cretonne.  One  large 
mirror  on  the  wall,  a  second  standing  mirror,  a 
large  wardrobe  with  shelves  and  closets  for  ma- 
terials, etc.;  one  large  and  several  small  tables,  a 
sofa  and  one  or  two  upholstered  chairs,  made  up 
the  furniture  of  this  room.  All  the  pieces  were 


262  THE    THIRD    SEX 

new  and  original  in  form,  in  the  style  of  the 
Munich  Art  Reformers.  None  of  them  were  no- 
ticeable from  any  unpleasant  over-costliness,  but 
all  showed  aristocratic  simplicity  and  originality 
in  shape,  color  and  material.  The  coverings  of 
the  furniture  and  the  decorations  of  the  room 
were  in  pale  green  and  reddish  tints.  Interest- 
ing fashion  plates  of  the  last  three  centuries,  a 
lithograph  of  Empress  Eugenie  in  the  crinoline, 
and  a  photograph  of  the  Bavarian  Princess 
Sophie  in  her  wedding  dress,  hung  in  white 
enamel  frames  to  the  right  and  the  left  of  the 
large  mirror.  Even  the  most  ordinary  objects, 
the  pin  trays  and  the  toilet  articles,  showed  the 
same  pleasing  artistic  pattern,  and  the  order  and 
measure  books  were  enclosed  in  original  and  at- 
tractive bindings. 

A  glass  door  separated  this  large  reception 
room  from  Lilly  von  Robiceck's  boudoir.  Here 
were  her  desk,  her  little  library,  her  piano,  and 
all  the  little  trifles  that  held  pleasant  memories 
for  her,  keepsakes  from  her  girlhood  days,  wed- 
ding presents,  and  many  charming  gifts  from  her 
admirers.  Photographs  of  Franz  Xaver  Pirn- 
gruber,  Werner  Rudolfi,  Joachim  von  Lossow, 
Prince  Cloppenburg-Usingen,  and  even  one  of  the 
almost  mythical  Mr.  von  Robiceck,  completed  the 


THE    THIRD     SEX  263 

decoration,  and  in  a  dark  corner  hung  her  own 
masterpiece,  the  copy  of  the  Old  German  Ma- 
donna with  the  unconquerable  nose.  The  furni- 
ture of  this  little  room  was  part  of  her  wedding 
outfit,  and  showed  no  particular  modernity.  Back 
of  the  corridor  were  the  large  light  sewing  room, 
the  kitchen  and  appurtenances. 

The  morning  of  the  first  of  November  saw  a 
most  select  little  gathering  in  Lilly  von  Robi- 
ceck's  apartment,  even  before  the  clock  had  struck 
ten.  Prince  Cloppenburg-Usingen,  who  had 
given  the  money  for  the  outfitting  of  the  new 
firm,  was  there,  and  the  four  young  artists  who 
had  designed  and  carried  out  the  entire  equipment. 
The  idea  of  using  the  charming  head  of  the  firm 
herself  as  the  most  attractive  advertisement  had 
sprung  from  the  brain  of  Werner  Rudolfi,  and 
most  of  her  costume  portraits  were  from  his 
brush.  The  remainder  were  done  by  Joachim 
von  Lossow,  and  the  two  other  young  men  had 
designed  the  furniture  and  supervised  the  work 
of  the  upholsterer  and  decorator. 

The  youngest  of  the  gentlemen  drew  up  the 
shutters  promptly  on  the  stroke  of  ten,  while 
Joachim  von  Lossow  played  a  festival  march 
composed  for  the  occasion.  Lilly  and  her  guests 
took  turns  at  peeping  through  a  little  hole  in  the 


264  THE     THIRD     SEX 

back  of  the  show-case,  to  enjoy  the  impression 
made  on  the  passers-by,  and  as  the  crowd  grew 
larger  and  larger  Lilly  clapped  her  hands  in  de- 
light, seized  the  worthy  Prince  and  whirled  him 
around  the  room. 

She  wore  the  reception  costume  which  she  had 
designed  for  this  solemn  occasion,  a  long  loose 
skirt  of  fine  mouse-gray  cloth,  with  a  little  open 
jacket  of  the  same  trimmed  with  braid,  over  a 
loose  blouse  of  flowered  silk  held  together  by  a 
dark  red  velvet  belt.  Lilly's  other  gowns  and 
hats,  in  which  Rudolfi  had  immortalized  her  in 
his  pictures,  were  arranged  on  forms,  or  laid  care- 
lessly on  the  sofa  and  chairs  in  the  reception  room. 
No  one  appeared  for  an  hour  after  the  opening, 
and  the  two  sewing  girls,  in  fluted  caps  and  im- 
mense white  aprons,  waited  with  impatience  for 
the  ring  of  the  door  bell  which  should  announce 
a  customer.  The  bell  did  ring  at  eleven  o'clock, 
but  it  was  the  boy  from  Dallmeyer's  delicatessen 
store,  with  some  cold  dishes  the  Prince  had  or- 
dered. Messengers  from  the  wine  merchant  and 
the  florist  followed,  and  in  a  few  moments  a 
dainty  little  table  was  set  up  in  Lilly's  boudoir, 
covered  with  the  most  alluring  cold  lunch  dishes 
and  any  number  of  drinks.  The  gentlemen  fell 
to,  and  showed  an  appetite  worthy  the  festal 


THE    THIRD    SEX  265 

occasion,  glasses  touched  and  toasts  were  drunk 
in  honor  of  the  charming  owner  of  the  estab- 
lishment, with  all  good  wishes  for  her  suc- 
cess. 

Little  Mrs.  von  Robiceck  was  naturally  con- 
siderably excited.  She  listened  with  one  ear  only 
to  the  praise  and  compliments  of  her  good  friends, 
while  the  other  was  cocked  for  the  first  sound  of 
the  bell.  But  the  longed-for  signal  was  not 
heard  until  a  quarter  before  twelve,  and  then  one 
of  the  girls  came  in  to  whisper  that  a  gentleman 
was  in  the  reception  room,  and  wished  to  speak 
to  Mrs.  von  Robiceck. 

The  jolly  company  was  struck  dumb  in  respect- 
ful silence,  and  Lilly  glided  through  the  door  into 
the  reception  room.  There  stood  Franz  Xaver 
Pirngruber !  He  waited  until  the  girl  had  closed 
the  door  behind  her,  and  then  he  ran  toward  Lilly 
with  wide  open  arms.  She  turned  in  alarm 
toward  the  glass  door,  knowing  that  her  guests 
were  seeking  transparent  spots  in  the  pattern  on 
the  panes  through  which  they  could  watch  her 
reception  of  her  first  caller,  and  with  an  energetic 
gesture  warned  her  old  admirer  to  restrain  his 
ardor. 

"Lilly,  you  sweet,  naughty  Lilly!"  whispered 
Franz  Xaver  excitedly,  scarcely  able  to  control 


266  THE     THIRD     SEX 

his  longing  to  seize  her  in  his  arms.  "  Why 
haven't  you  let  me  hear  from  you  all  this  long 
time?  It  was  only  through  the  circular  my  wife 
received  yesterday  that  I  knew  you  were  here  and 
had  followed  my  advice.  Oh,  Lilly,  I  love  you 
just  as  much  as  ever.  Don't  you  care  for  me  at 
all  now?" 

"  My  dear  sir,"  answered  Mrs.  von  Robiceck 
with  droll  dignity,  "  I  have  opened  this  establish- 
ment to  clothe  the  ladies  of  Munich,  and  not  to 
receive  declarations  of  love  from  their  husbands 
therein.  Kindly  remember  that  fact.  But  other- 
wise I  am  very  glad  to  see  you  again  —  on  con- 
dition that  no  mention  shall  ever  be  made  of  our 
past  relations.  That  is  all  over  and  done  with 
now.  I  have  divorced  myself  not  only  from  my 
husband  but  from  my  entire  past." 

Franz  Xaver  Pirngruber  drew  a  long  face  and 
stammered  in  conflicting  emotions:  "  Indeed?  — 
is  that  so?  well  —  well,  then  I  congratulate 
you  —  and  —  oh,  yes,  I  wanted  to  give  you  a 
little  something  for  your  opening  day,  so  I  per- 
suaded my  wife  to  come  here  —  it  would  please 
me  very  much  if  she  were  the  first  to  wear  a  cos- 
tume made  by  you." 

Lilly  clapped  her  hands  in  delight,  blushing 
charmingly,  and  exclaimed:  "Really?  Oh, 


THE     THIRD     SEX  267 

Xaverl,  that  was  awfully  nice  —  you  are  a  dear 
fellow  after  all!  When  will  she  be  here?  " 

"Any  minute;  I  ran  on  ahead  to  prepare  you. 
I  had  better  be  off  now,  or  I  might  meet  her, 
which  would  be  embarrassing." 

"  No,  no,  that  won't  do !  "  cried  Lilly  hastily. 
"Stay  here  a  while;  I'll  hide  you  with  the  oth- 
ers." She  took  his  hand  and  ushered  him  into 
the  next  room. 

The  master  of  the  humoristic  brush  was  not  a 
little  astonished  to  find  a  company  here  in  secret 
convivial  enjoyment.  Lilly  introduced  him  to  the 
gentlemen  as  an  old  friend  and  served  him  her- 
self to  the  lobster  salad  and  champagne,  describ- 
ing enthusiastically  the  while  what  the  others  had 
done  for  her. 

"  Well,  well,  well,  and  you  didn't  say  a  word 
to  me  about  it,"  complained  Franz  Xaver.  "  As 
father  of  the  idea,  I  should  have  been  the  first 
to  know  of  it." 

"  And  as  a  married  man,  the  very  last,"  smiled 
Lilly.  "  I  never  compromise  my  good  friends." 

The  bell  rang  again  and  a  few  seconds  later 
the  maid  came  in  and  beamingly  announced  a 
stylish  lady.  Lilly  rose  from  the  table,  took  a 
deep  breath,  and  entered  her  reception  room  with 
dignified  mien,  while  the  gentlemen  crept  silently 


268  THE    THIRD     SEX 

to  the  glass  door,  seeking  holes  to  peep  through. 

This  first  customer  was  in  truth  the  handsome 
Mrs.  Pirngruber.  She  was  honestly  delighted 
with  the  samples  of  her  talent  that  Lilly  showed 
her  in  the  shape  of  her  own  clothes,  and  a  long 
serious  consultation  followed,  Mrs.  Pirngruber 
sitting  on  the  sofa,  and  Lilly  on  a  chair  in  front 
of  her. 

The  watchers  in  the  boudoir  began  to  find  this 
tiresome,  and  drew  back  to  the  table,  eating  and 
drinking  in  whispered  conversation.  Mr.  Pirn- 
gruber alone  remained  at  his  post,  and  could  not 
seem  to  look  his  fill  at  the  two  women,  the  one 
so  stately,  the  other  so  dainty.  Each  seemed  to 
set  off  the  other,  each  to  give  the  other  just  the 
foil  she  needed,  and  Franz  Xaver  loved  them 
both,  he  hardly  knew  which  he  loved  the  more, 
and  he  saw  no  end  to  his  capacity  for  loving.  He 
felt  that  he  was  a  happy  man,  a  man  truly  to  be 
envied.  After  which  he  returned  to  his  lobster 
salad. 

The  consultation  of  the  two  ladies  lasted  a  full 
half  hour,  and  when  Lilly  finally  returned  to  her 
friends,  she  sparkled  with  happiness.  She  laid 
her  arm  across  Franz  Xaver's  shoulder  and  cried 
in  a  voice  of  suppressed  jubilation :  "  Oh,  you 
dear,  dear  friend!  what  a  charming  wife  you 


THE     THIRD     SEX  269 

have !  Just  think,  she  told  me  she  thought  I  was 
lovely!  And  such  a  pretty  gown  as  we  have 
thought  out,  sweet  enough  to  eat!  She  says  it 
can  cost  three  hundred  marks." 

"  Heavens  above,  I  see  my  finish !  "  groaned 
the  happy  husband,  falling  into  his  chair.  "  She 
told  me  she  wouldn't  spend  more  than  a  hundred 
and  fifty." 

Prince  Cloppenburg  held  out  his  champagne 
glass  to  the  crushed  one,  and  said  merrily: 
"  Come,  revered  master,  join  us  in  a  glass  to  the 
health  of  our  dear  friend,  Lilly." 

Lilly  von  Robiceck  straightened  up  suddenly  at 
the  sound  of  the  glasses,  as  if  struck  by  an  in- 
spiration, and  sent  her  voice  out  into  the  jovial 
noise: 

"  Be  quiet,  friends,  I  want  to  make  a  speech." 

"  I  herewith  solemnly  declare  you  men  to  be 
a  delightful  sort,  except  when  you  are  in  love. 
No  sensible  and  self-respecting  human  being  can 
consort  with  women  for  any  length  of  time,  for 
they  are  death  to  common-sense  and  self-respect. 
Everything  bad  that  has  ever  come  to  me  in  life 
has  come  to  me  through  women,  and  simply  and 
solely  because  more  of  your  sort  run  after  me  than 
after  the  others.  Just  recently  the  leading  rep- 
resentatives of  Munich's  progressive  women,  the 


270  THE     THIRD     SEX 

heads  of  that  celebrated  association  with  the  name 
I  never  can  remember,  declared  me  to  be  un- 
worthy to  join  in  their  good  work.  In  spite  of 
the  fact  that  I  had  the  most  impressive  recom- 
mendations from  the  influential  Mr.  Arnulf  Rau, 
these  ladies  declared  me  to  be  an  outcast.  And 
why?  Again,  simply  because  more  of  your  sort 
run  after  me  than  they  do  after  any  lady  of  the 
unpronounceable  association.  Gentlemen,  I  have 
cursed  my  sex  and  my  face  as  long  as  I  wandered 
in  the  paths  set  apart  for  femininity,  helpless  prey 
to  all  the  wild  beasts  that  range  the  so-called  rose 
garden  of  Love.  But  now  I  have  found  the  way 
out,  and  have  discovered  a  neutral  zone,  where 
I  need  no  longer  be  merely  a  woman,  and  where 
I  can  yet  utilize  my  true  womanly  talents  to  ad- 
vantage. I  will  take  my  revenge  on  my  fellow- 
women  by  making  money  on  their  vanity.  And, 
gentlemen,  in  this  happy  zone  love  is  not  known, 
please  remember  that.  I  put  the  sum  of  my  ex- 
perience thus  far  in  the  following  assertion: 
4  You  men  are  devils  when  in  love,  but  you  are 
angels  in  your  friendship  for  a  woman.'  As  my 
friends,  you  have  shown  me  the  way  to  my  sal- 
vation through  work;  you,  my  dear  Franz  Xaver; 
you,  best  of  Princes;  you,  my  darling  Werner, 


THE     THIRD     SEX  271 

and  my  good  Joachim,  I  thank  you  with  all  my 
heart.  Long  life  to  my  dear  good  angels!  " 

The  dear  good  angels  were  much  delighted  at 
the  praise  awarded  them  from  such  pretty  lips, 
and  at  the  close  of  the  speech  they  each  received 
an  unasked-for  kiss  from  those  same  pretty  lips, 
as  advance  payment  for  their  assistance  with  ad- 
vice and  with  labor.  Thus  ended  the  memorable 
breakfast. 

Lilly  von  Robiceck  had  sent  out  five  hundred 
circulars  to  the  prominent  women  of  the  royal 
residence  city,  Munich,  but  only  three  of  them  vis- 
ited her  establishment.  Quite  different,  how- 
ever, was  the  impression  made  by  the  new  cos- 
tume worn  by  Mrs.  Pirngruber  at  a  gathering  in 
the  Hanfstangel  house.  Several  ladies  appeared 
in  the  rooms  in  the  Adelgundenstrasse  the  very 
next  morning,  and  when  finally  an  order  came 
from  the  still  handsome  and  extremely  elegant 
wife  of  a  rich  brewer,  Lilly  von  Robiceck's  for- 
tune was  made.  During  the  Carnival  season  she 
had  so  much  to  do  that  she  kept  ten  girls  and  two 
forewomen  busy,  and  at  the  close  of  the  season 
she  had  an  order  from  a  Princess  of  the  Royal 
house.  Before  the  month  of  January  was  out 
she  paid  back  to  Prince  Cloppenburg  a  good  por- 


272  THE     THIRD     SEX 

tion  of  the  money  he  had  lent  her,  and  it  was 
the  very  first  return  from  any  of  his  many 
loans. 

Her  faithful  friends  were  heartily  glad  of  her 
great  success,  but  they  were  not  particularly  happy 
over  it,  for  sweet  little  Lilly  hadn't  a  moment  for 
them  now.  The  one  or  the  other  would  drop 
in  during  the  day  occasionally,  for  five  minutes' 
chat  in  the  quiet  boudoir  between  her  sessions  with 
her  aristocratic  customers.  But  it  was  no  par- 
ticular pleasure  to  sit  for  two  hours  reading  il- 
lustrated papers,  as  if  in  the  waiting-room  of  a 
celebrated  physician,  just  for  a  pressure  of  the 
hand,  and  a  few  friendly  words.  They  came  less 
and  less  frequently,  and  at  last  only  when  espe- 
cially invited  for  an  evening.  The  younger  of 
them  were  particularly  grieved  because  Lilly 
could  not  be  persuaded  to  join  in  the  festivities  of 
the  winter  season.  The  year  before  she  had  been 
the  life  of  all  the  public  balls  she  had  visited,  but 
this  season  she  would  not  attend  one.  It  was  true 
that  just  at  that  time  the  pressure  of  work  was 
tremendous,  but  every  Saturday  was  followed  by 
a  Sunday,  when  she  might  have  allowed  herself 
a  little  pleasure. 

If  the  good  gentlemen,  who  were  as  naive  and 
as  unsuspecting  as  are  all  respectable  men,  had 


THE     THIRD     SEX  273 

listened  with  a  little  more  attention  to  the  gossip 
of  their  womenkind,  they  would  have  discovered 
another  reason  for  the  refusal  of  the  charming 
gown-composer  to  attend  the  balls.  And  also  the 
reason  for  her  sudden  predilection  for  loose  hang- 
ing blouses  and  very  wide  pleated  skirts  in  her 
own  costumes. 

Franz  Xaver  Pirngruber  heard  the  news  from 
his  wife,  and  he  turned  pale  at  the  hearing,  so 
deeply  did  he  suffer  with  his  unhappy  friend. 
He  took  heart  one  evening  and  called  on  her 
after  business  hours.  She  had  just  sent  off  her 
forewoman,  and  was  at  her  simple  supper  when 
he  arrived.  She  received  him  cordially,  and 
chatted  as  merrily  and  easily  as  in  the  first  May- 
time  of  their  love.  But  sweet  as  she  was,  the 
good  Franz  Xaver  couldn't  seem  to  catch  her 
mood,  for  he  had  a  momentous  question  on  the 
tip  of  his  tongue,  which  he  couldn't  get  any  fur- 
ther. Toward  ten  o'clock  she  asked  him  to  go, 
as  it  was  her  bedtime,  and  she  yawned  heartily 
to  corroborate  her  statement. 

"  Aren't  you  well,  Lilly  dear,"  he  asked,  "  that 
you  go  to  bed  so  early?  " 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  am  very  well,"  she  answered, 
"  but  I  am  very  tired  this  evening.  I  get  up 
early  in  the  morning  so  as  to  have  an  hour  for 


274  THE     THIRD     SEX 

myself  then  —  it  is  the  only  time  of  day  when  I 
can  sit  down  with  a  book." 

"Hm!  Well,  good  night,  Lilly  dear."  He 
took  her  hand  and  held  it,  looking  attentively  at 
her. 

"  Why  do  you  look  at  me  so,  Xaverl?  " 

"  I  was  thinking  your  hard  work  seems  to 
agree  with  you  —  you  are  growing  stouter,  I 
think,"  he  said  blushing  like  a  young  girl.  "  Or 
does  it  only  seem  so  because  you  wear  such  wide 
loose  things  now?  " 

She  smiled  up  into  his  eyes  and  shook  her  fin- 
ger at  him.  "Confess,  my  dear, —  you  don't 
dare  say  it  out, —  the  ladies  have  been  gossiping 
about  me?  " 

"  Is  it  true,  Lilly?"  he  whispered,  timidly. 

She  nodded  with  a  sudden  blush. 

He  sighed  a  comically  deep  sigh,  then  looked 
helplessly  at  her  and,  with  a  question  in  his  eyes, 
laid  his  forefinger  on  his  own  breast. 

She  shook  her  head  smiling. 

"No?"  he  cried,  and  sighed  another  deep, 
deep  sigh. 

She  seated  herself  on  his  lap,  something  she 
had  not  done  since  their  parting  in  the  summer, 
looked  down  at  her  finger  tips  for  some  time,  and 
then  said,  with  a  deep  blush :  "  You  mustn't  ask 


THE     THIRD     SEX  275 

me  anything  about  it,  Xaverl.  It  is  my  child, 
mine  alone,  and  no  one  else  has  anything  to  do 
with  it." 

"  Why,  Lilly !  "  he  cried  aloud,  and  nearly  let 
her  fall  from  his  lap  in  his  shock.  She  stood  up, 
shrugged  her  shoulders,  turned  from  him,  and 
threw  a  glance  of  sweet  innocence  up  at  the  Ma- 
donna with  the  unconquerable  nose. 

They  were  both  silent  for  some  time.  The 
master  of  the  humoristic  brush  rubbed  his  brow 
meditatively  and  she  awaited  his  judgment. 
Finally  Franz  Xaver  found  his  tongue. 

"  You  know,  little  woman,  I'm  not  reproaching 
you,  that  would  be  too  stupid,  but  this  affair  looks 

devilish  like Oh,  dear!  oh,  dear!  The 

poor  innocent  must  have  a  father." 

"Why?"  asked  Lilly  simply.  "I  can  take 
care  of  it  myself  perfectly  well." 

"  But  what  are  you  going  to  do  with  it?  you 
can't  have  it  here?  " 

"  Indeed,  I  intend  to  have  it  here  with  me." 

"  But  Lilly,  think  of  your  name,  your  busi- 
ness !  " 

"  I  don't  care.  If  the  ladies  here  don't  want 
to  get  their  clothes  in  an  establishment  where 
there  is  a  child,  then  I'll  pack  up  and  go  to  Ber- 
lin or  Vienna.  I  can  find  a  place  anywhere.  I 


276  THE     THIRD    SEX 

don't  intend  to  leave  the  poor  little  thing  to  the 
care  of  some  indifferent  stranger.  Oh,  no,  you 
don't  know  me,  any  of  you  I  My  child  stays  here 
with  me,  and  I  will  be  a  good  mother  to  it,  even 
if  it  should  ruin  me  to  do  so." 

He  rose  and  took  both  her  hands.  "'Lilly 
dear,"  he  said  in  emotion,  "  you  are  a  brave  lit- 
tle woman,  and  I  respect  you  for  it.  If  the  fight 
proves  too  hard  for  you,  count  on  me  for  as- 
sistance. Whether  the  child  is  mine  or  not,  I'll 
stand  by  you.  God  bless  you,  dear  heart." 

He  kissed  her  hands,  and  hastened  away  that 
she  might  not  see  his  eyes  were  moist  with  tears. 


CHAPTER  X 

LILLY  VON  ROBICECK  disappeared  from 
Munich  about  the  end  of  April,  and  every- 
one knew  why.  She  returned  again  in  July,  and 
presented  a  dear  little  girl  as  her  daughter  to  her 
forewoman  and  her  five  sewing  girls  —  the  other 
half  of  the  force  had  been  dismissed  before  her 
departure.  The  forewoman  gave  notice  at  once, 
for  she  was  a  strictly  moral  person,  and  the  five 
sewing  girls  divided  themselves  into  two  camps, 
the  one  for,  the  other  against,  their  mistress. 
The  party  in  sympathy  with  her  consisted  of  four 
of  them,  each  of  whom  already  had  a  child  of 
her  own,  the  fifth  was  alone  in  the  opposition. 
But  she  stayed  on,  as  she  felt  flattered  at  being 
the  only  white  lily  in  this  pool  of  iniquity. 

Lilly  had  been  obliged  to  leave  the  Church  to 
gain  her  divorce,  so  she  did  not  have  her  child 
christened.  But  soon  after  her  return  she  gath- 
ered her  more  intimate  friends  at  a  private  fes- 
tival in  which  Lilly  the  II.  (she  had  named  the 
child  after  herself,  so  as  not  to  compromise  any- 

»77 


278  THE    THIRD    SEX 

one)  was  made  welcome  in  the  community  of  the 
New  and  the  Free,  who  do  not  stand  on  the 
Other  Side  of  Good  and  Bad,  but  who  desire  to 
stand  on  the  Other  Side  from  all  loveless  preju- 
dice. 

The  ladies  who  came  to  order  their  summer 
clothes  could  sometimes  hear  the  hearty  little 
voice  of  the  new  Lilly  in  the  neighboring  room, 
and  those  who  asked  received  the  startling  an- 
swer: "Yes,  Madame,  that  is  my  baby. 
Please  excuse  me  a  moment,  I  nurse  it  myself." 

And  when  the  customer  exclaimed  in  astonish- 
ment: "  But  you  have  been  divorced  for  so 
long?"  Lilly  would  reply  with  a  smile:  "Oh, 
yes,  that  is  not  Mr.  von  Robiceck's  child,  thank 
God!  I  do  not  see  why  a  woman  who  is  per- 
fectly independent,  as  I  am,  should  not  have  a 
child  for  herself  alone,  about  which  no  one  else 
has  a  word  to  say." 

Some  ladies,  after  this  exciting  revelation,  de- 
cided to  have  their  gowns  made  elsewhere.  But 
there  were  others  who  now  came  of  themselves 
to  the  celebrated  establishment  managed  by  Lilly 
von  Robiceck.  The  entire  executive  board  of  the 
Association  for  the  Evolution  of  the  Feminine 
Psyche  appeared,  and  threw  itself  upon  the  im- 
agination of  the  talented  gown-composer  for  the 


THE     THIRD     SEX  279 

making  of  new  coverings  for  the  New  Woman. 
Now  that  Lilly  von  Robiceck  had  a  child,  she 
was  a  heroine  in  the  eyes  of  those  very  same  ladies 
who  once  refused  her  admission  to  their  associa- 
tion, and  her  child  was  to  them  a  symbol,  it  was 
the  New  Child.  Lilly  received  glowing  letters 
from  excited  young  ladies  who  were  about  to 
throw  off  all  conventional  fetters,  and  even  gray- 
haired  priestesses  of  the  new  Religion  for  the 
Emancipation  of  Women,  such  as  Baroness 
Grotzinger,  offered  her  their  friendship.  The  cos- 
tumes ordered  by  these  new  friends  were  not  so 
expensive,  but  they  could  be  more  striking  and 
original,  and  served  well  as  advertisement.  The 
dull  season  brought  slight  business,  but  with  the 
coming  of  autumn  most  of  the  renegade  custom- 
ers had  given  up  the  attempt  to  balance  them- 
selves timidly  on  their  moral  principles.  They 
decided  it  was  better  to  stand  firmly  on  the 
ground  of  the  fact  that  nowhere  else  were  such 
good  clothes  to  be  had  as  in  the  nursery  in  the 
Adelgundenstrasse,  and  so  they  all  appeared 
again,  even  the  two  forewomen. 

The  business  prospered,  the  baby  prospered 
and  so  did  the  new  friendships.  Yes,  it  was  to 
be  only  friendship  for  all  time  now.  Werner 
Rudolfi  had  made  another  attempt  to  induce  Lilly 


280          THE    THIRD     SEX 

to  marry  him,  as  for  her  sake  he  would  like  to 
have  had  her  little  daughter  christened  Lilly 
Rudolfi.  But  she  refused  gently  and  firmly.  So 
the  good  young  artist  packed  his  toothbrush  and 
night  shirt  in  a  satchel,  and  set  out  for  a  little 
consolation  trip  in  company  with  Franz  Xaver 
Pirngruber.  These  two  had  felt  strangely 
drawn  to  one  another  lately. 

Hildegard  Haider  was  one  of  the  new  friends 
of  the  mother  of  the  "  New  Child,"  and  the  two 
grew  to  like  each  other  more  and  more,  the  bet- 
ter they  became  acquainted.  Many  eager  de- 
bates they  held,  in  the  little  boudoir  back  of  the 
reception  room,  on  the  questions  that  excite  the 
minds  of  the  more  intelligent  women  of  our  time. 

And  Box  spoke  one  evening :  "  Do  you  know, 
it  is  all  these  horrid  men-women,  who  dabble 
amateurishly  in  art  and  science,  and  talk  so  much 
about  their  equality,  who  ruin  the  business  for 
true  progress.  They  are  not  women  at  all,  but 
merely  abnormal  beings  such  as  every  generation 
has  seen.  But  there  are  plenty  of  women  who 
do  not  need  man,  and  yet  are  swayed  by  the  truest 
feminine  impulse  —  I  mean,  of  course,  by 
maternal  love.  Now  true  progress  seems  to  me 
to  mean  a  state  wherein  these  women  will  not  be 
forced  to  give  up  all  independence  and  joy  of  life. 


THE    THIRD    SEX  281 

In  former  days  they  had  to  crawl  in -anywhere  in 
the  family  and  eat  the  bread  of  charity  as  maiden 
aunts.  They  were  allowed  to  make  themselves 
useful,  and  all  the  unpleasant  tasks  were  forced 
upon  them  which  have  always  been  the  portion  of 
our  supposed  patience.  They  were  permitted  to 
train  stupid,  malicious  children,  spoiled  entirely 
by  the  imbecility  of  their  parents;  they  were  made 
to  care  for  unendurable  old  men  and  women;  and 
to  play  watchdog  when  the  family  was  off  enjoy- 
ing itself.  Our  Arnulf  Rau  has  found  the  right 
word  here,  what  we  want  is  the  Revolt  of  the 
flints.  Just  think  of  the  power  they  would  be, 
if  the  enormous  army  of  the  Aunts  could  work 
its  way  through  to  independence.  We  must  put 
out  of  the  world,  not  only  this  silly  contempt  for 
the  older  unmarried  woman,  but  also  the  moral 
indignation  shown  toward  the  unmarried  mother. 
It  is  possible  that  with  the  other  weeds  the  sa- 
cred institution  of  matrimony  may  also  be  plucked 
up  and  cast  into  the  fire.  But  I  can't  say  I  think 
that  would  be  such  a  misfortune.  Marriage  is 
an  unnatural  state  of  affairs  for  man,  and  for 
woman  it  is  a  happiness  only  in  the  rarest  cases. 
Whence  come  the  hypocrisy,  the  lying,  and  the 
petty  malice,  the  envy  and  the  malicious  joy  in 
the  destruction  of  things  one  holds  dear,  all 


282  THE     THIRD     SEX 

these  qualities  that  disgust  us  so  in  present-day 
femininity  —  whence  do  they  come,  except  from 
the  necessity  of  the  dependent  woman  to  find  a 
modus  vivendi  with  the  men  to  whom  they  must 
look  for  support !  I  am  convinced  that  there  are 
just  as  few  women  who  can  feel  respect  and  con- 
fidence in  their  husbands  during  the  whole  term 
of  their  marriage,  as  there  are  men  who  can  be 
eternally  faithful  to  their  wives.  The  man  be- 
comes brutal,  the  woman  vulgar.  Marriage  de- 
stroys the  character,  for  it  demands  too  much 
politics.  When  two  free  human  beings  really 
belong  together,  they  will  be  glad  to  stay  to- 
gether, so  that  in  a  state  where  there  is  no  com- 
pulsory marriage,  there  could  be  only  happy 
marriages.  Of  course  the  mother  must  be  al- 
lowed all  rights  to  her  children,  and  be  able  to 
support  them  herself;  and  the  men  must  be  com- 
pelled by  law  to  care  for  those  of  their  wives  and 
children  who  of  their  own  free  will  have  given 
up  their  independence." 

"But  the  family?"  Lilly  put  in  thoughtfully. 

"  The  family  can  only  gain  by  it,"  replied  Miss 
Haider  confidently.  "  There  would  be  families 
consisting  of  mother  and  children,  and  some  con- 
sisting of  father  and  children  only;  and  in  these 
families  the  children  would  be  spared  the  demor- 


THE    THIRD    SEX  283 

alizing  example  of  a  constant  conflict  between 
parents  who  no  longer  love  and  respect  each 
other.  Whereas  in  the  families  with  mother  and 
father,  eo  ipso,  happiness  and  peace  would  reign 
supreme.  But  otherwise  I  can  look  on  the  change 
only  as  a  benefit,  for  the  influence  of  the  family 
leads  to  tyranny  of  the  finer,  more  delicate  na- 
tures, and  is  an  obstacle  to  the  welfare  of  the 
whole  of  humanity.  I  expect  a  most  beneficial 
freshening  of  the  race  from  the  break-up  of  the 
old-fashioned  marriage  and  family  ties,  a  phys- 
ical and  mental  improvement  to  mankind,  because 
then  more  children  will  be  born  of  true  love,  and 
they  will  have  more  intelligent  mothers." 

"  I  know  another  advantage,"  cried  Lilly, 
with  a  sly  smile.  "  The  ugly  women  could  no 
longer  be  so  haughty  and  disagreeable,  because 
mere  virtue  of  itself  would  have  no  value." 

"  Quite  right,"  agreed  Box.  "  Arnulf  Rau 
has  spoken  of  that,  too.  He  says  the  overrating 
of  virginity  is  the  means  by  which  men  hold 
women  most  surely  in  their  power.  It  is  a  brutal 
overpowering  through  stupid  vanity.  But  we  re- 
fuse to  bow  to  it  any  longer.  In  my  opinion  a 
girl  who  stands  up  bravely  and  acknowledges  her 
child  in  the  face  of  the  prejudices  of  our  imbecile 
society,  and  gains  universal  respect  through  her 


284          THE    THIRD    SEX 

personality  and  her  work,  this  girl,  I  say,  does 
more  for  humanity  and  progress  than  the  woman 
who  achieves  a  professorship  of  astronomy,  for 
instance." 

"  Thank  you,"  said  Lilly,  blushing  with  pleas- 
ure. 

The  ladies  were  silent  a  few  moments  and 
then  Hildegard  Haider  spoke  again: 

"  It  is  strange  how  many  interesting  female 
types  our  own  little  circle  can  show.  There  is 
Katia  Rau,  the  wife  who  lives  in  fear  and  trem- 
bling, and  has  become  past  mistress  in  the  art  of 
clever  hypocrisy;  there  is  Claire  Reithmeyer,  the 
woman  with  the  strong  gift  for  science,  but  with 
strong  sensuality  as  well,  who  needs  love  to  keep 
her  mental  balance;  and  then  the  strong  intelli- 
gences without  sensuality,  Babette  Girel,  who  is 
a  true  man,  and  Meta  Echdeler,  who  is  a  true 
lady.  Then  there  is  my  poor  dear  sister,  the 
'  sweet  flower,'  still  of  the  old-fashioned  type, 
who  makes  alluring  eyes  and  sends  out  her  nets 
without  success,  because  the  men  she  would  like 
prefer  the  New  Woman,  and  she  herself  doesn't 
care  for  those  who  still  like  the  old  style.  Yes, 
yes,  that  is  a  very  modern  conflict.  And  then, 
there  is  you,  and  here  am  I,  and  they  all  think 
me  one  of  the  Third  Sex  because  I  stand  as  firm 


THE     THIRD     SEX  285 

as  any  man  on  my  own  feet,  and  allow  no  one  to 
draw  the  wool  over  my  eyes.  To  be  frank,  I  am 
sorry  for  that  —  I  would  love  to  have  a  child 
of  my  own.  I  will  confide  in  you  that  I  once 
made  a  timid  attempt  at  it,  but  the  object  in  ques- 
tion was  unworthy,  he  skipped  with  three  hun- 
dred marks  of  my  money.  Tell  me,  dear  friend, 
how  did  you  come  by  your  sweet  little  daughter?  " 
Charming  little  Mrs.  von  Robiceck  smiled  deli- 
cately: "That  is  a  business  secret." 

The  thoughts  to  which  Hildegard  Haider  gave 
expression  in  the  conferences  in  the  cosy  little 
back  room  in  the  Adelgundenstrasse  were  in  the 
main  the  mental  property  of  the  great  Arnulf 
Rau,  and  he  had  decided  to  use  the  interesting 
material  for  a  novel  which  should  bear  the  title, 
"The  Third  Sex." 

But,  as  one  is  never  quite  sure  whether  Arnulf 
Rau  will  really  carry  out  his  world-upheaving 
plans  or  not,  and  as  in  my  opinion  the  world 
should  never  be  spared  a  wholesome  upheaval,  I 
have  taken  the  liberty  of  forestalling  him.  I 
crave  your  forgiveness. 

THE  END 


Hilda  Against  the  World 

By  VICTORIA  CROSS 

Author  of 

"The  Night  of  Temptation,"   " To-Morrow,"  etc. 


Victoria  Cross  has  conceived  and  portrayed 
what  is,  perhaps,  the  most  difficult  situation  on 
earth.  When  is  marriage  not  a  marriage  ?  The 
case  which  she  presents  may  easily  arise,  and  she 
has  blended  the  fact  with  her  fictitious  plot. 
The  characters  themselves  may  be  imaginary,  but 
"  Hilda  Against  the  World"  is  none  the  less  a  real 
life  story. 

We  see  Hilda  Thome  suffering  and  strug- 
gling for  purity,  and  fighting  her  way  from  the 
depths  to  the  light  in  the  final  triumph  of  her 
better  nature.  There  cannot  be  two  opinions  of 
the  range  and  power  of  "  Hilda  Against  the  World," 
which  is  splendidly  virile,  which  looks  upon  life 
with  open  eyes,  and  which  in  inception  and  ex- 
pression is  equal  to  the  best  of  this  brilliant 
author's  past  achievements. 

Price  $1.25  net;  Postage  12  Cents 


The  Macaulay  Company,  Publishers 

15  West  38th  Street  New  York 


The  Night 
of  Temptation 

By  VICTORIA  CROSS 

Author  of 
"LIFE'S  SHOP  WINDOW,"  "FIVE  NIGHTS,"  etc. 


This  book  takes  for  its  keynote  the  self- 
sacrifice  of  woman  in  her  love.  Regina,  the 
heroine,  gives  herself  to  a  man  for  his  own 
sake,  for  the  happiness  she  can  give  him. 
He  is  her  hero,  her  god,  and  she  declines 
to  marry  him  until  she  is  satisfied  that  he 
cannot  live  without  her. 

The  London  Athenaeum  says:  "Granted 
beautiful,  rich,  perfect,  passionate  men  and 
women,  the  author  is  capable  of  working 
out  their  destiny." 

Price  $1.25  net;  Postage  12  Cents 


The  Macaulay  Company,  Publishers 

15  West  38th  Street  New  York 


The    Secret 
of  the  Night 

By  GASTON  LEROUX 

Author  of 
"THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  YELLOW  ROOM,"  etc. 


Another  thrilling  mystery  story  in  which 
the  famous  French  detective  hero,  Joseph 
Rouletabille,  makes  his  appearance  before 
the  public  again.  This  character  has  won  a 
place  in  the  hearts  of  novel  readers  as  no 
other  detective  has  since  the  creation  of 
Sherlock  Holmes. 

Thousands  upon  thousands  of  people  in 
two  continents  await  eagerly  every  book  by 
Gaston  Leroux  that  relates  the  adventures 
of  the  hero  of  "The  Mystery  of  the  Yellow 
Room"  and  uThe  Perfume  of  the  Lady 
in  Black." 

Price  $1.25  net;  Postage  12  Cents 

The  Macaulay  Company,  Publishers 
15  West  38th  Street  New  York 


University  of  California 

SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 

305  De  Neve  Drive  -  Parking  Lot  17  •  Box  951388 

LOS  ANGELES,  CALIFORNIA  90095-1388 
Return  this  material  to  the  library  from  which  it  was  borrowed. 


A     000030759 


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